Such is life
by RyuuDariel
Summary: AU She is supposed to take the last step into her perfect life. He is supposed to be at her side as her best friend. Well, things don't always go the way you want them to but such is life. Give up or try again! VH and a lot more! CHAP 3 IS UP! R
1. Too perfect to be true

Ryuu: Hiyaaa!!! We're Dariel and Ryuu Angel! *grins like mad an' takes Dariel's hand* Look at what we did!!! We allied!!! Mwahaha!! *giggles*

Dee: Be afraid!! Bwahahaha

Ryuu: Ahem, okay, Dee is still pinchin' me to see if all this is for real, but after twenty pinches I've reached the conclusion it is, so we proudly present ye the product of two crazy minds!

Dee: So then, do us a favour and enjoy our little piece of work!! Go go go!!!

DISCLAIMER: We don't own Escaflowne *both start to sob hysterically* And we don't own Van!!!! *crying shamelessly at each others sleeves*****

**                                                                                  ~Such is life~**

CHAPTER 1. Too perfect to be true 

With a loud thud, a green-painted door with a golden 303 on it flew open and hit a beige wall, making the plaster crumble lightly and the glasses in the cupboard at the wall clink. Startled, the man who was calmly sitting on a brown leather couch awoke from his trance-like state in front of the tv and looked around, his grey shirt totally crumpled. A surprised expression crossed his features when he saw a young man storm into the apartment, pitch-black hair dishevelled and auburn eyes narrowed in anger. The man on the couch ran a hand through his chestnut-brown hair and watched the intruder in slight confusion.

"What's the matter, Van?" he asked, scratching his head. "I thought you already left."

The young man didn't bother to answer but simply disappeared behind a door at the other side of the living room. 

"Hey, I asked you a question!" the brown-eyed man on the couch complained but then sighed and shook his head.

Yawning noisily, he reached for the remote control and flipped lazily through the channels, not allowing the people on tv to finish their sentences. Warm sunlight was pouring through the huge but slightly dirty window behind him, flooding the parquet floor and hitting a single Cd on the glass table in front of the couch only to project a rainbow on the ceiling. He suddenly heard rumbling, followed by loud cursing. A few seconds later, Van Fanel appeared in the doorframe and dusted off his black suit, a basketball rolling past him. 

"What did you do?" Amano asked and tried to peek past Van's broad shoulders into his room which was filled with brown boxes.

"I forgot my purse," Van replied and stuffed the slim black wallet into a pocket on the inside of his jacket.

His friend leaned against the couch and crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking him up and down. 

He surely had grown up since the last time he had seen him, he admitted with a chuckle. He was positively certain that girls would kill in order to get him to look at them as, after all, he was terribly good looking. Of course, he would never admit that he was more handsome than himself, but no woman on Gaea would resist those big auburn eyes, his tall and muscular frame, though lithe and supple. His tanned skin and hair the colour of midnight only added to his charm, and certainly that black suit he wore fitted him perfectly. Was that the skinny boy that blushed like mad every time a girl asked him the time?

If he was, the man that was now in front of him, black suit and white shirt impeccably clean and straight, definitely didn't look like the younger Van. 

The only thing that was a bit out of place was the tie which hung loosely around Van's neck.

"You should hurry up or you'll be too late," Amano stated, rubbing his arms. "And please do me a favour and arrange your tie, you look terrible!"

A brief smile crossed Van's features and he nodded at the brown-eyed man. "See you soon, Amano," he replied and crossed the room with quick steps, his friend waving after him.

"But, Van!" Amano called after him, swirling around on the couch. "Don't --"

He jerked violently when the door was slammed shut.

"...slam the door shut," he muttered, turning back around and devoting himself to the various talk shows on tv again.

Van didn't hear. He was running down the stairs to the first floor with an incredible speed, taking two steps at once and the echo of his footsteps followed him down the stairway – and awoke his neighbours from their nap. He was just about to dash through the front door and onto the street when a shrill voice stopped him. 

"Mr. Fanel!" someone shrieked from behind, making him roll his eyes. 

Van swung around on his heels, forcing a charming smile on his lips and looked at the small woman who was standing in a green doorframe, some meters down the floor: Mrs. Sato, the local newspaper and self-appointed watchdog of the house. Though Van had moved in only three days ago, he had seen enough of her for the rest of his life. Her eyes and ears were everywhere and there was nothing, she didn't know about. She was wearing a skirt which reached a bit over her knees and made her seem even shorter together with a wide blouse, the colours of her clothes hurting his eyes.

"Yes, Mrs. Sato?" Van asked through gritted teeth, trying to sound patient and friendly but it sounded more like the hiss of a snake observing its prey.

"Mr. Fanel, I know you are young and just moved in and maybe you haven't --" she began but Van interrupted her, his smile even wider.

"Yes, I know the rules of the house," he said and bowed deeply, his black strands falling over his eyes. "I'm very sorry for disturbing you and I promise that it'll never happen again. But now, excuse me, I'm in a hurry."

And with that, he turned around and stormed out of the building, pretending not to hear Mrs. Sato's complaints about the young generation. Two little boys playing cards were sitting on the steps which lead from the door down to the sidewalk, and a dalmatian with a red scarf around its neck was watching them curiously. A lot of people were on the streets, the sound of engines and the hooting of cars filling the air. It was the middle of autumn and the leaves of the trees had already changed their colour, a brown and red carpet with yellow sprinkles covering the sidewalks. But right now, Van didn't care.

He stopped at the kerb and stretched out his arm, calling for a taxi. Various cars drove by but soon, a car stopped beside him, the usual yellow colour hardly visible under all the adverts and only the glowing sign on the car roof showing that it truly was a taxi. Van hastily opened the door and jumped in the back of the car, telling the driver the address. When the taxi finally joined the busy traffic on the street again, he exhaled deeply and leaned back, closing his reddish-brown eyes. It smelled like leather and car, the autumn sun warming his tanned skin. Remembering Amano's words, Van reached up with his hands and skilfully arranged his tie, houses and trees flowing by without him noticing.

Everything could have been so perfect! He had planned everything, even the tiniest detail. After he had finally decided to tell her, he had handed in his notice for his job and apartment back in Palas, had searched for a new job here in Fanelia and had finally contacted his friends, telling them that he would move, but he hadn't told her. He had wanted to surprise her, had wanted to see her priceless face when he suddenly stood at her door, a bunch of red roses in his hand. Luck had been on his side the whole time, a new job quickly found. It had been two days before moving out of his old apartment when he had gotten her letter. The letter that had changed everything.   

His heart beating quickened when he remembered that day, and he ran both of his hands over his face and through his hair…

_He had returned late from work, from his last day as a teacher at Meifia, tired and exhausted, and the only thing he had wanted to do had been taking a nice hot shower._ _He had gotten it, but he hadn't been able to enjoy it._

_He had been pouring the warm water over his tired muscles when his bell rang loudly several times, showing the mild impatience of his unexpected visitor. _

_"I'm coming!" Van yelled, turning off the water._

_At once, the prickling feeling which the water had caused on his skin vanished, and he felt the cold breeze which came from the slightly open window. He shivered and reached for the towel, hastily wrapping it around his waist. Streams of water were running down his well-built chest which were then soaked by the white towel, and his wet feet made tapping noises on the tiled floor when he walked to the door. Before opening it, Van reached for another towel and attempted to dry his hair which was sticking to his head. It was when another storm of knocks hit his front door. Angrily, he pulled open the door of the bathroom and stepped into his living room, soaking the carpet._

_"I said I was coming!" he barked and the knocks stopped._

_"The postman, Mr. Fanel," came the muffled reply from behind the door and Van snorted._

_Closing the bathroom door behind him and running a hand through his wet hair, he looked around the room. Where the hell did he put his shoes? It was completely quiet, the apartment almost empty. All books were gone from the bookshelves, only the prints in the layer of dust left. Brown boxes stood everywhere within the small living room, clothes and various magazines scattered between them. It was obvious that he would move out within the next days and that he wouldn't find his shoes anytime soon. He sighed and crossed the room, leaving a trail of water behind. _

_The keys clinked when he unlocked his door and the smiling face of a young man greeted him.  _

_"A certified letter for you, Mr. Fanel," the red-haired man said, his face full of freckles, and held up a white envelope._

_Van cocked a wet eyebrow. "Why's that?" he asked, watching the postman who was now rummaging through all his pockets._

_"I don't know. I didn't open the envelope," he replied simply, not bothering about Van's appearance as if he was used to half-naked and completely wet people opening the door. A triumphant grin finally spread across his face, holding a slim pen in his hand. "I need a signature, please."_

_Van frowned and glanced at the simple white envelope which showed nothing more than his address on the front side. Slowly, he took the handed blank paper and signed it, the young postman whistling to himself. _

_"Thank you," he replied when he received the blank from Van, handing him the letter and turned around with a short "Goodbye"._

_"Bye," Van mumbled absently and closed the door, twisting the paper in his hand. His auburn eyes widened in surprise by spotting the sender. "Hitomi!"_

_Without hesitating, the young man grabbed one edge of the envelope and tore it open. He pulled a pastel rose–coloured sheet of paper out of it and unfolded it, his curiosity growing with every second that passed. He hadn't gotten any mail from her for quite some time and he wondered what had happened. His eyes rushed over the lines of Hitomi's clear and careful handwriting and his heart suddenly stopped beating, the letter slowly slipping out of his grasp and floating quietly to the ground._

"Shit! Where the hell did you get your driving license you idiot!?" yelled the taxi driver at a fat woman in an elegant red car in front of them.

Van snapped out of his thoughts and looked up, a loud and long hooting filling the air and the taxi coming to a sudden halt. ****

"What's the matter?" he asked the driver impatiently, looking at the red glowing brake lights of the car in front of them.

"Traffic jam, what else?" the taxi driver replied simply, leaning back into his seat with stoic calmness that could drive passengers crazy when they were in a hurry and opened the window.

"No!" Van exclaimed and after looking at the watch at his wrist, his gaze flickered around, hunted. There was nothing around him but cars which were not moving, an ocean of sparkling metal sheets. "Where are we?" he asked quickly, turning to the driver again.

"At the corner of Monument Road and Old Street," the driver replied, looking out of the window. "Your destination is five blocks down the street."

Van glanced at his watch again, then at the jammed street and finally at the taximeter, already fishing for his purse. He would be quite faster if he went on foot. Pressing the money into the driver's sweaty hand, Van opened the door and jumped out of the car. At once, a cold wind tugged at his pitch-black hair, sending a flock of yellowish leaves across the street. Hastily, the young man wound his way past the dozens of humming cars to the sidewalk and sped off. He had to hurry or it would be to late. He had this one chance and not more.

He ran down the street, past the waiting cars and past hundreds of people. Scraps of conversations reached him faintly through the turmoil of thoughts in his head, together with the clicking sound, his shoes made on the paved ground. Van didn't notice the women's stares which followed him along his way, heads turning to watch his neck-breaking race. His heart was beating so hard that it hurt and his lungs pricked with every heavy breath he took. But he just kept on pushing himself, the sound of the seconds passing by like thunder in his ears. 

Panting, he stopped when a church suddenly appeared from behind a corner, the two pointed towers trying to touch the clouds in the endless blue sky. Stony figures were watching him from above, little guardians who sat hidden in the shadows of the gothic building full of corners. A group of old women stood in front of the stairs which led up to the massive oak doors, looking up when the handsome young man in the black tuxedo ran past them.

"Oh, young man, you're pretty late! They already started!" one of the women called after Van but he didn't hear.

The sound of muffled music came through the closed wooden doors but Van didn't care. He was late, yes, though it didn't matter anymore. He had planned everything so carefully... but she had put a spoke in his wheel with her revelation. Of course, he had been shocked. He hadn't expected it for she had never mentioned it with any written word in her letters. He had thought about forgetting everything; forgetting his plan, forgetting the new job, forgetting her and going back to his old life. But somehow, he hadn't been able to accept it. He hadn't wanted to give everything up without fighting, without even trying; hadn't wanted to lose her.

And there he was, running up the steps to St. Rhum's Church, determined to tell her everything, to tell her why he was there. He hadn't even told his friends. He had thought about it a thousand times and had called himself a fool a million times for even thinking of doing something like that. But it was the only way. There was no option, no other way to get her back, only this one which led through these doors. 

Now or never. 

Cheeks flushed and his chest rising and falling heavily with thebreaths which came out short and fast, he reached the top of the stairs. Van stretched out his arm, his fingers closing around the heavy iron doorknob and then – he stopped, eyes wide in shock.

What was he doing there? Slowly, he released the doorknob and took a step backwards, staring down at his hands. Birds were singing in the trees around the church, gathering for their journey to the south but he didn't notice, the sound of his heart beating violently within his chest drowning every other noise around him. That wasn't him. He hadn't been himself anymore for the last five days. The Van he knew would never do something as foolish as that. He couldn't believe that he had been just about to storm into the church! Had he even thought about the possibility that she wasn't probably feeling the same for him like he felt for her? 

A rash action. Yes, that was the reason for his behaviour. He hadn't been able to think rationally anymore after receiving her last letter. Turning his back to the church, he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his black pants and slowly descended the steps. He was angry with himself because of the chances he had wasted and because of being a damn coward but he couldn't change it. Looking up, his auburn eyes focused and scanned over the words on the white plate which stood at the bottom of the stairs, decorated with white roses.

**"Today, wedding of Allen Shezar and Hitomi Kanzaki."**

His lips curved into a sad smile when he walked past the plate, his black bangs covering his eyes.

"I hope you're happy, Hitomi," he whispered.

                                                                                   [#########]

Wherever she looked, all she saw was... perfect. That was the only suitable word to describe it.

The wooden door at her left creaked as it slowly opened, an elegant and tall woman stepping inside the sacristy. Her blond hair was pinned in a stylish bun and covered with an elegant broad-brimmed hat adorned with a ribbon in ivory-coloured silk, her greyish-blue eyes crinkling at the edges when her lips curved in a smile. The woman was dressed in a stunning dark blue dress made of silk that fitted her lean frame perfectly, her bare shoulders covered with a shawl with embroidered patterns on its perfect navy blue.

"Oh, Hitomi dear, you look beautiful," said Encia Schezar with a wide smile looking at her future daughter-in-law.

The girl standing in the middle of the room blushed like a rose and smiled shyly; although she had known Encia for years now, she was still a little bit bemused by her fiancé's mother, so elegant and graceful.

The three maids that were flirting around Hitomi nodded with giggles while they gave the bride the final touches before the ceremony started. Apply a little bit more of eye-shadow here, fix the veil to her honey golden tresses, arrange a loose flower of her bouquet... Everything had to be perfect for the wedding. Her wedding.

Hitomi smiled shaking her head in awe, not sure if all this was truly happening; she had so many times admired the brides in their white long dresses, swearing forever love to the man of their dreams in a sun-filled church, the aisle flooded with soft music and the sweet scent of the flowers scattered around the temple.

And now it's my turn, she sighed. She licked her lips, then stopping dead when she thought of the lipstick and the lip gloss her maids had applied there.

"It's like a dream come true," she whispered, closing her eyes. For a second she was scared that, if she opened them again, it would all have vanished into a puff of smoke, but soon enough the emerald eyed girl pushed that thought aside. It was stupid, this was for real and, most important of all, forever.

The only thing she was sad for was the absence of her friends; she wouldn't be able to see them again until the end of the honeymoon, and as Allen's family had wanted to have a very intimate wedding, just the two families and very few other friends were supposed to attend the wedding.

"I'm only sorry that mum and dad couldn't make it," sighed the bride sadly and Encia pulled her in a light embrace so as not to mess up her dress.

"I am also sorry, dear. It was such a pity that your father broke his leg... you know it was too late to postpone the wedding," said Allen's mother frowning slightly. Hitomi's father, Kanzaki Keisuke, had had an accident in his farm two days ago, and therefore his wife had had to stay with him at hospital to take care of him while their precious child wedded Allen.

"Yes, of course I know it's nobody's fault," the bride smiled with a shrug of her shoulders. Her heart skipped a beat when suddenly the bells started chiming and music reached her ears, the first accords of the nuptial march filling the air. The quiet bustling of the guests could be heard through the narrow opening of the door that hadn't been properly closed, and Hitomi clutched her bouquet of flowers like mad, trying to calm herself. After all, everything was going to be fine.

The auburn head of her younger brother Mamoru peeked into the sun-flooded room where his sister was from a back door, smiling. 

"Everybody's waiting for you, sister," he grinned, entering the sacristy. The green eyed girl watched her brother with a smile, taking in what a man he had become. It seemed yesterday that they were two little brats chasing one another around their old house in Arzas. And now look at him, just turned twenty-two and ready to walk her down the aisle, filling his father's place in his absence. He looked so much older than her right now, though she was two years older.****

She breathed a deep intake of air and let it go little by little; when she was finished, she nodded at her brother and offered him her arm, which he took with a dazzling smile.

Surely girls will melt when he smiles like that at them, Hitomi thought with a giggle, remembering that is was the same effect Allen had on her. Every time he looked at her, her insides turned into mush.

"Hey, 'Tomi, are you nervous?" Mamoru asked in a low whisper while they were walking down the corridor that would lead them to the back of the church, from where they had to walk to the altar. 

She bit her lip with a rosy blush adorning her porcelain cheeks. "Not at all. What makes you think so?"

"That you are crushing all the bones in my left hand..." he chuckled, shaking his head and making sway with it his auburn locks framing his handsome face.

"But what if I triple with my dress and fall flat on my nose, or maybe someone steps on the train and it comes off, or what if-!" she frantically hissed until Mamoru placed his hand on her lips to silence her with a lopsided grin.

The notes of the nuptial march played louder, and she saw a small rectangle of light projected on the floor coming from her right, a few meters from where they were now: now there was no way back.

"Don't worry, Hitomi, everything will be perfect," her brother murmured in her ear before they both stepped in the central aisle and all the faces turned to stare at them.

The picture was heavenly; sunlight bathed the church in a golden haze, the coloured glasses of the windowpanes creating strange waving movements in the forest of greens, sapphire, lavender blues, crimsons and yellows that flooded the place. Even the chirping of birds could be heard from outside, thousands of doves that awaited patiently for some kind person to throw some food at them in the small square in front of the church. There was a red carpet on the floor where she had to walk, and some small bunches of flowers tied to the benches poured their divine scents in the temple.

But the most heavenly part of the picture were the two people who were in opposite ends of the aisle: one was a tall man dressed in a black suit and with a rose bud tucked in his buttonhole, his blond hair and his cerulean depths glued to the small and delicate frame that approached, slowly but steadily, to where he was.

Hitomi was dressed in a beautiful ivory-white dress; the tight-fitting bodice adorned with a shower of tiny pearls that formed waving patterns on the silky fabric. Folds and folds of silk creased and fell gracefully, tumbling down from her slim waist into a cascade of rustling satin, nearly mingling with the fabric of the train so that one could not distinguish where one ended and started the other. Her hands were covered with white gloves that went up past her elbow, enfolding her petite hands and perfectly moulding to them.

Her sandy gold coloured hair was trapped in a bun that left some strands loose, sweetly framing her delicate features, and very thin golden threads had been skilfully interwoven in her honey tresses.

She looked like an angel to Allen, who gulped and stared at her soon-to-be wife in awe.

Hitomi smiled at him reassuringly, her mind carried away on the beautiful music that was still playing. She looked around trying to locate Van's face, smiling at the thought. She hadn't seen him for so many years... and she had been allowed to invite him as he was her best friend since they were kids; after all, with her parents both missing, it wouldn't have been fair to Hitomi if she hadn't had any known and loved ones at her wedding. All the faces of the guests were happy, the same thought in their minds: _what a perfect couple they are_.

She would've wanted to laugh. Yes, they were a perfect couple. Everybody had told them so from the very beginning, making them believe that they were souls akin.

Can there be so much perfection and bliss in one same day and place? she suddenly wondered, chewing nervously her bottom lip and therefore ruining her makeup there. Well, who cared now? She was going to get married to Allen for her whole life! No option of making the wrong choice, there was simply no option to make a mistake like that. But she was not, she calmed herself. Everything was perfect. Her bouquet with wild orchids and tiny jasmine flowers was. Her dress was. The guests were, he was, the day was. 

Her wedding was perfect.

And all of a sudden she discovered that she was afraid of perfect weddings.

She walked to Allen in a daze, not really noticing when Mamoru let go off her arm and Allen took it instead. The priest, a young man called greeted them both and the ceremony started.

But, no matter how hard she tried to, she couldn't focus on the words that floated in the air.

The First Reading... why did it seem in her eyes that the light wasn't as bright as before anymore?

The Psalm and the Second Reading... her perfect shoes started hurting her sensitive skin, and she bit her swollen lip again. Why was she being flooded with so many doubts now? She hadn't had any problems since they had decided to marry! She had been going out with Allen for almost two years and they had thought it was time to take their relationship a step further. Hitomi had been happy when he had proposed to her! A startling ring with a single shiny emerald on its golden beauty, "but still failing to match the glow in her eyes", as he had told her, sealing her lips in a soft kiss afterwards. 

The Gospel... the homily... she started to sweat and fidget; Allen noticed it and took her hand in his big warm one to calm her nerves, but his touch only made her more jumpy.

Tick. Tack. Tick. Tack.

It was drawing closer and closer. The moment when she would have to say her vows. The moment when her freedom would be bound forever to the man at her side. 

"... if any of you know cause, or just impediment, why these two persons should not be joined together in holy Matrimony, ye are to declare it," said the priest, and looked around the room; for a split second, Hitomi surprised herself by hoping that someone would storm into the church and sweep her in his strong arms, away from the altar. But only silence followed Jajuka's words and soon afterwards he resumed the reading of the vows. ****

"Allen, this woman whom you hold by the hand is to be your wife. She has given you  one of the most sacred  things under heaven:  a woman's life and a woman's love. Do you, Allen Crusade Schezar, take Hitomi Kanzaki to be your wife, true and loyal, patient in sickness, comforting in sorrow, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her so long as you both shall live?" 

The handsome blond man delved into Hitomi's deep forest eyes and gave her a radiant smile that made her heart wrench inside. 

"I do."

Uh oh. Not good. No handsome knight in shining armour had come to separate them and claim that she was not to wed that man. And the priest went on, facing Hitomi. He must have seen the turmoil in her eyes, for he smiled, trying to give her the strength to go on. But suddenly her knees felt as if all her bones had turned to jelly.

"Hitomi, this hand whom you hold by the right hand is to be your husband. On our life, your love and devotion he will lean for strength and inspiration. Do you, Hitomi Kanzaki, take Allen Schezar to be your husband and promise that you will be loyal in adversity, ministering to him in affliction, comforting him in sorrow, and forsaking all others, keeping yourself only unto him so long as you both shall live?"

She held her breath; the silence in the church could have been cut with a knife, and she could feel everybody's eyes on her, expecting to hear the two words that would seal that marriage. Allen was looking at her but she ignored him, refusing to face his sky-blue pools. Everything was so...

... perfect. Still perfect. Too, too perfect to be true.

"Well... err..."

                                                                                        [#########]

Hispano Street, 12. 

A big wooden sign was hanging from an iron bar outside the small place, the word "Escaflowne Café" written in dark green gothic-like letters and a white dragon delicately painted on the plaque. Next to the reddish-brown wooden door there was a huge window that was being cleaned from the inside in those same moments. Once the layer of cleaning spray was wiped from the translucent glass, the autumn sun peeked into the cozy place, but let's take a different route and enter through the main door.

When you touch it it's smooth and fresh under your palms, and you push it open effortlessly; before your eyes you have a medium sized room, the walls painted a dark cream colour that is often hidden by the tons and tons of framed pictures, artworks and posters that the owner, or god knows who, scattered around the place.

You go down four low steps and place your foot on the warm parquet that covers the floor, a side door at your left that would lead you to the toilets. At your right and standing behind the counter, a man with long rich brown hair tied in a loose ponytail is wiping the last remains of spray on the windowpane while chewing a piece of dark liquorice. His green eyes sparkle mischievously at the voices of his friends, who are lazily sitting on the couch in front of a large tv screen. Their conversation reaches your ears and you can't help but to listen to their words.

"But I still can't understand what you're doing here!" groaned a bubbly girl with brown hair that shone with a red light when the sunlight caressed her silky strands. She was sitting on a tall boy's lap, his chestnut hair tickling her right ear every time she leaned onto him. 

Her words were aimed to a man with pitch-black hair and auburn eyes, his shoulders sunk and an indecipherable expression on his extremely handsome features. His dark suit was crumpled, white shirt pulled out of his black trousers and the tie lying on the floor, completely forgotten by its owner. He was sitting on a comfortable individual couch next to the one where the couple was, and although his eyes were fixed on the car race on tv, he wasn't paying any attention to the program: his mind was a turmoil of doubt. 

"Yeah, you had been fretting about that wedding ever since you arrived here this morning! You nearly made our apartment's door split in two half an hour ago, what's happened to you now, Van?" joined in the boy after tugging a loose strand of reddish hair behind the girl's ear with a sweet grin. 

Van smiled sadly , though he tried to hide it. "Hey, I just found out that I couldn't understand why I had to be **_there_**," he gave them a lopsided grin while he distractedly stuffed his left hand in a back pocket, fingers blindly searching for something to occupy themselves. "You know, all full of posh people, and being the only friend that was going to go, I felt it wasn't right," he explained; he bit his lip. Who was he trying to fool? At least, it wasn't working with himself. He knew his soul too well to trick his true feelings, but he wasn't going to tell the world that his insides were being torn apart, slowly, painfully, just when the words 'Hitomi' and 'Allen' appeared, together, in his mind.

"That's exactly why you had to go!" insisted the girl, a fiery sparkle shining in her liquid brown eyes. "She needs your support! Don't you think, Amano?" she looked at the man in whose lap she was sitting and he nodded solemnly.

"Oi, Yukari, just leave him alone, poor lad," chuckled the man behind the counter, leaning onto the shiny wooden surface and putting away the wiping cloth and the spray. Van smiled at him and approached his hand to the girl's head, as if he wanted to caress her shiny hair.

"Yah, anyway she hasn't seen me in years so it would've been much more logical that one of you went there, not me," he grinned as Yukari backed away a little, startled by his movements; with a snap of his fingers, he produced a coin from behind her ear and then gave her a mock bow, taking off an imaginary hat. ****

"You must teach me to do that!!" she giggled in delight, clapping her hands while Van sank onto his couch and started playing with the small piece of metal. He gave her a stunning smile and winked.

"Professional secrets can't be revealed, miss Uchida, I'm sorry," he apologized lifting his free hand and then putting it on his chest. "I gave my word." ****

"Hey Dryden, isn't that Milly out there?" suddenly asked Amano, his head tilted to the window; a huge motorcycle had stopped in front of the café, a tall blond guy with grey eyes dressed in tight jeans and a leather jacket still on the powerful engine. Next to him stood the slender frame of a woman with pale blond hair which reached down to her tiny waist, her big expressive violet eyes shining of excitement and her cheeks rosy, swiftly turning crimson at some comment he said.

The man behind the counter looked at the couple with a frown, a growl rumbling in his throat though it never came out. "Yeah, it's Millerna..." he confirmed in a murmur, watching how the blond guy embraced her to kiss her lips until they were both out of air. Dryden snorted. "One of these days they're gonna asphyxiate, or maybe one will be sucked into the other," he commented with a sarcastic edge in his voice, and Yukari laughed at his words whereas Amano chuckled silently. 

Van just smiled slightly, making the coin dance between his fingers absentmindedly, desperately looking for something to think about to keep Hitomi's smiling face out of his mind, remembering that he had lost her, forever.

Well, at least they could still be friends, right? He held to that belief, thanking the gods for not having allowed himself to go into that church and try to stop the perfect wedding with stupid words of love that she wouldn't even appreciate. He would've ruined her special day, but luckily he had restrained himself and resigned to stay a friend.

Now he just had to be strong to put a smile on his lips when he saw her and try to sound sincere in his congratulations. So much like Hitomi, writing last minute to announce the most shocking event he could think of with less than ten words!

**_"Hey Van, guess what? I'm going to marry! Surprised?"_**

Surprised? Heck, if he multiplied the meaning of the word a few thousand times, even so, he wouldn't come close to what he had felt then. Shocked. Shattered. Even more words to describe his feelings but he doubted that Hitomi knew about the battle she caused within him. She didn't know about the way she had made him feel whenever she had smiled at him, whenever she had laughed with him, hugged him, kissed him on the cheek... dammit, even when she had brushed a strand of light brown hair out of her face! 

But it was too late now. Even if he told her now, it wouldn't make any difference. She belonged to someone else. What use was it to think about times that would never come, chances he couldn't take anymore? He should forget his feelings and the best way to do so was to simply ignore them, ignore the nagging pain which was tearing him apart.

The light clicking of high heels on wooden floor reached him faintly when Millerna approached, the upper part of her body embraced by fine violet fabric and a black skirt hiding only less than a half of her long legs, even though it was chilly outside. A golden medallion dangling from a fragile chain was swinging lightly with her movements; adorning her long neck, the piece of jewellery was envied by almost every man for its exquisite and privileged position. A bright smile was plastered across her beautiful face, revealing her perfectly white teeth.

"Hey, guys," she greeted cheerfully and looked around, frowning when she spotted Van lounging on the couch while he still twirled the coin between his fingers, obviously brooding over something. Tossing her shining blond hair over her shoulder, she asked, "Van? Aren't you supposed to be at Hitomi's wedding?"

The young man groaned inwardly, sinking farther into the softness of the couch. So much to forgetting about it all. Was it written on his forehead or what? _'Needs to be reminded of his lack of expressing feelings. Thank you.'_ Why were his friends so damn curious? Couldn't they just leave him alone? But no, poking in the wound was so much more fun.

"He doesn't know it himself," Yukari replied with a shrug, seeing that the black-haired man wouldn't answer, and then leaned against her boyfriend, who immediately tightened the embrace around her waist, grinning. "He says that it wouldn't have been right for they haven't seen each other for two years."

Yeah, and because I would have made a mistake I would have regretted for the rest of my life, Van added bitterly, but he didn't dare to say it out loud. None of his friendsknew about his feelings for Hitomi, his feelings for a now married woman. What would they say? Probably call him foolish. At least, that was what he thought of it. Or better to say... he _wanted_ to think so, but somehow it was impossible. He wasn't able to lie to himself.

"You don't need to say it," Yukari said then, raising her arm when Millerna was about to open her mouth, delicate brows knitted in confusion. "We all think that this is no excuse, but... what can we do? It's Van after all! There is no explanation for his behaviour!" she snorted, her expression quickly turning into a grinning one. "But now tell me, what about the silly grin on your face?"

And as if on signal, a wonderful blush found its way on Millerna's cheeks, glowing like a rose petal on white tiled ground. "Well..." she stammered and Dryden who was still standing behind the counter and had watched her intensely rolled his green eyes, earning a sympathetic look from Yukari. "Derek said that there was the possibility for me to get a role..."

"Oh, come on, Millerna!" Dryden exclaimed, putting the glasses he had been holding, violently onto the tray and their clinking filled the air. "It's only a soap opera and I doubt that your beloved Derek has any influence! He's just an actor!" 

"How do you know?" Millerna asked sharply, glaring at him out of the corner of her eyes and crossing her arms in front of her chest. "You shouldn't speak about something you don't know and, even if, it's my problem, not yours! And now, I'd like to have my cappuccino if you aren't too busy with poking your nose into businesses that aren't of your interest!"

A light smile tugged at the corners of Dryden's lips but it wasn't his usual mocking smile he usually gave his friends, together with one of his famous sarcastic remarks; this one was sad. 

"Of course," he replied flatly, directing his eyes to the counter, not wanting Millerna to see the hurt in his eyes.

The pale blond woman snorted and turned to look at her friends only to have her brows rise questioningly, as Yukari and Amano were watching her with reproachful looks.

"What?" she barked, slightly annoyed.

"Don't you think that it was a little bit too harsh?" the red haired girl asked warily, knowing that dealing with Millerna's temper was like treading on thin ice. Very thin ice with quite some cracks.

"No!" the violet-eyed woman replied grumpily, falling onto the couch which groaned quietly in protest. "It was my right for it was absolutely none of his business! What is he doing here anyway?"

"Mr. Moleman caught a cold and Dryden didn't find a temporary worker within this short time," Amano answered with a shrug, resting his head on Yukari's shoulder. "So, he had to do it himself. You see, even the boss isn't safe from washing the dishes in his own café." ****

The couple chuckled but Millerna just leaned back against the couch with a sigh, absently smoothing her skirt. 

"Now, what about the role?" Yukari asked curiously and leaned a bit closer to Millerna, her brown eyes sparkling intensely. The question had the same effect on Millerna like cookies had on little children. She looked up, her eyes shining and a happy grin on her face. Yukari knew quite well what she had let herself in. Once Millerna had someone's blessings to talk about her profession – though she didn't need any blessings at all – not even a sale with 50% price cut at her favourite boutique was able to stop her. 

Millerna was talking nineteen to the dozen, Yukari listening interestingly, adding a giggle or a comment every now and then. Sometime between  "And guess what he said then!" and  "I thought I was dreaming!" Dryden joined them, placing the ordered cappuccino onto the sturdy wooden table. Fine clouds of hot steam rose from the white ceramics cup, fading slowly after curling and changing shapes for a few seconds; a thin trail of brown liquid was crawling down the smooth surface of the mug where Dryden had spilled a bit. 

He sat back in a soft easy chair across the table, Millerna's voice a continuous noise in his ears. Glancing up, he saw Amano almost sitting between the two chatting friends, patiently bearing the conversation and looking at him with this 'Women!' look. The two girls weren't talking as if they were sitting right beside each other, but as if some huge canyon was between them so that they had to yell across it. Dryden grinned, wondering why they weren't already deaf – or maybe they were and that's why they had to yell at each other? - and turned to look at Van.

The young man was still sitting on his couch, his eyes focused on a spot somewhere in another dimension, racking his brains about who knew what. But Dryden was used to that. He had known Van for quite some time and the auburn-eyed lad had often been like that, quiet and just listening, smiling silently to himself. Of course, he could laugh and joke but it had taken a long time until he had finally accepted that these horribly annoying people around him truly liked him and that he could trust them. And though Dryden was convinced that he knew Van quite well, he couldn't explain why he wasn't at the wedding.              

A cold autumn breeze suddenly crept into the café when the door was opened, causing goose bumps on the skin of the people who sat near the entrance, their jackets hanging lazily over the backrest of the chairs. Voices died down and fabric rustled, people turning around on their seats to look at the person who had entered the café. It was silent for a brief moment, the only sounds those of the calm music filling the café, mixed with the noises from the traffic outside. 

"Oh my god..." Yukari uttered with her eyes round as saucers, waking Van from his daze.

His breath was caught in his throat and his auburn eyes widened to the limit when he looked up, his mouth slowly opening. 

There, half leaning on the doorframe, stood a young woman. Her once carefully arranged hair was dishevelled, honey-blond tresses hanging into her face, cheeks flushed. She was breathing quickly as if she had run for quite some time while her bright green eyes flickered restlessly around, obviously searching for something. 

But what had made everyone stop talking or even breathing wasn't her sudden appearance – it was her outer appearance. Her bridal dress was glowing a blinding white, the pearls adorning the fabric sparkling like diamonds in the sunlight, thin sunbeams that had fought their way through a few fragile clouds and the sparse foliage of the trees at the street, almost all their leaves already covering the sidewalks. 

"Hitomi!" Van broke the silence, the coin slipping through his fingers and hitting the floor with a light clinking noise.

                                                                                 [#########]

Tbc..

Dee: Well then, we hope you liked it so far!! Did cost us quite some nerve *remembers a certain girl nearly freakin out because of the priest's words*

Ryuu: *sweatdrops* aye, certainly... so if ye don't like them... DON'T TELL ME!!! *grumbles* ah eh ^^U all right... so... review? PLEEEEAAASEEE????

Dee: And we try to find some time between all the homework and college stress to update...see you next chapter!!! *waves like mad*

Ryuu: aye aye!!! *waves an' hugs Dee* hope to read yer opinions 'bout it!!! Count on them te keep us alive through school an' college *sweatdrops*

Both: Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee


	2. Independent woman

Dee: Hiya!! Guess what? We. Are. Back. Bwahahaha!! 

Ryuu: Mwahahaha!!! Aye, we're still alive and as crazy as ever!!! Sorry, it took so long to update, but things have been keeping *cough cough* me *cough* back. Blame me then.

Dee: No no *pats Ryuu on the back* not your fault!

Ryuu: Well, it's our duty an' pleasure te inform ye all that the second chapter of our lil creation *pats fic* is up!

Dee: Yes!!! So, go and read what happened to our beloved Esca gang!!!!

*both shove reader to fic* 

Ryuu: So, go go!!!

DISCLAIMER: *both sobbing hysterically* We don't own anything!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chapter 2. Independent woman 

Hitomi Kanzaki. Twenty-four years old. One meter and seventy centimeters tall. Honey-blond hair and bright green eyes. Smart. Good parental home. Veterinarian, qualified to practice for one year now, ready to be set on the animal kingdom. And until ten minutes ago, she had had a perfect life. It's impressive how fast things can change.

Everyone in the café was staring at her. The couple at the window as well as the man who had dropped his cake into the coffee, warm, brown liquid sprinkling the white tablecloth around his mug. It was completely silent apart from the quiet music in the café and the noises of the engines on the street, the bride in the doorway the center of attention.

"Hitomi, what the hell are you doing here?" Yukari uttered after performing the miracle of finding her voice again, making Hitomi turn around.

Actually, that was a good question. What the hell was she doing there? She was supposed to be in the church. She was supposed to stand in front of the altar and beside Allen, was supposed to reward him with a sweet smile, was supposed to say two short words to seal their love. She was supposed to crown her perfect little life with a sweet little kiss. What had gotten into her?

By the gods, she had ruined her wedding. She had ruined everything they had planned for so long. The drawing up of the guest list, in vain. The fight for the beautiful church, the perfect arrangement of the flowers, the order of the banquet, the journey of their relatives, in vain. Everything had been in vain and it was her fault. Her parents would hate her. Allen's parents would hate her. Everyone would hate her. What had she done?

"Yukari," she whispered hoarsly and her hands started shaking.

The redhead finally moved and together with Millerna she stormed over to Hitomi. The young woman saw all the questions written across her friends' faces but they didn't say a word when they reached her. Millerna closed the door and Yukari grabbed Hitomi's wrists, dragging her gently towards the couch. The white fabric of her dress rustled over the ground and new dirt joined the mud from the street already decorating the hem. When they reached the couch, her friends started to flood her with questions at the same time, surrounding her like a humming pack of bees their queen. One question hovered in the air like thick fog, making it hard to breathe.

"What happened?"

"I...I..." Hitomi stuttered helplessly, her eyes flickering nervously around.

She didn't know it herself. She had stood in front of the priest, listening to his speech while sweat had formed unstoppably on her forehead. And this "so long as you both shall live" thing had somehow finished her off. Goodbye, rational thinking; hello, rash action. 

If she hadn't just run away from her wedding, she would have laughed about the expression on the faces of her friends. Their eyes were wide in anticipation of her answer, still shining with the disbelief about her appearance. They were all there; cheerful Yukari and talkative Millerna with whom she could discuss the whole night and shop until she fainted from exhaustion, sleepyhead Amano and lovable Dryden who always listened to her though their advices weren't that useful. 

It was when her gaze finally rested on him. A young man whom she hadn't seen for two years. He hadn't changed at all. Same dishevelled, raven-black hair falling adorably into his handsome face. Same unfathomable, auburn eyes which seemed to be able to look into a person's very soul. Same enviably tanned skin and trained figure, the whole guy made to wear a black suit. Van Fanel, who was supposed to be at her wedding.

"What are you doing here?" Hitomi asked, all nervousness and confusion gone and anger evident in her voice, her emerald eyes flashing at him. "Why weren't you at my wedding?" 

A warm smile crept upon Van's features which had been unreadable up to now, revealing his white teeth and making his eyes shine intensely. Between all the chaos of runaway brides, totally confused friends and hundreds of unspoken questions, she actually found the time to be angry at him. It seemed as if some things never changed. 

"I didn't miss much at all, eh?" Van replied with a shrug and a lop-sided grin, earning a smile on her lips that made his knees weak and his heart leap a beat.

She looked like an angel in that dress, her bright green eyes shining like emeralds and her lightly disordered hair made him feel the urge to reach out and put the loose strands back into place. With two long strides he had crossed the distance between them and wrapped her in his strong arms, holding her fragile form tightly. He squeezed his eyes shut, noticing just then how much he had really missed her. He felt her arms link behind his neck, her face burried in his chest and her intoxicating scent everywhere around him. She smelled like a fresh-picked bunch of flowers.

"I missed you so much, Van," Hitomi mumbled in his jacket and leaned even farther against him, the warmth of his body incredibly soothing.  

"Missed you, too," he whispered in her rose-scented hair and placed a soft kiss on it, clutching the silky fabric of her dress. "It's so good to see you again."

Without some goddamn ring at your finger, he added in silence and a huge grin spread across his tanned features. Van just couldn't believe his luck. Half an hour ago, he had thought that he had lost her. Forever. Lost to a man who had had the guts to tell her that he truly cared for her, that he loved her with all his heart and that he wanted to be with her for the rest of his life. Van had drowned in self-pity, accusing himself for his incredible cowardice, and pictures had filled his mind, pictures of Hitomi's perfect little family with Allen at her side.

But there she was, wearing her bridal dress, cradled in his arms and unmarried. He didn't know what had happened but he was thankful that something obviously had happened. If not, she wouldn't be here with him. Inwardly, he was jumping with joy, feeling the urge to embrace the whole world. His cheeks were already hurting from grinning so much.

"Do you want to sit down?" he asked though he didn't want to let go of her, wanted to hold her until the end of times.

The ex-bride in his arms nodded and reluctantly pulled away. Leaving the safety of Van's arms meant facing the reality again, facing the consequences of her doing. Van took her slim hands in his warm ones and led her to the couch, where she plopped down like a wet sack full of potatoes. Pretty depressed potatoes in this case.

"I can't believe I ran away from my own wedding," Hitomi said and hid her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking revealingly.

Seeing her like that was hurting his very soul. Van wanted to cradle her in his arms, wanted to comfort her and kiss the tears away but luckily (**or** unluckily, all depending on one's point of view), Yukari was faster. The redhead wrapped her arms around Hitomi and whispered soothing words in her ear. The others sat down around them, looking at their confused friend with sypatethic eyes. The people in the café had turned back to their earlier conversations, the man at the door trying to fish his cake out of the mug of coffee. 

After some minutes of quiet sobbing, Hitomi released her friend and straightened slowly. With a hint of her typical perfection, she smoothed her dress and rubbed the last tears out of her eyes, noticing with an embaressed smile the wet spot, she had left on Yukari's shirt.

"You really ran away?" Amano finally asked, not able to hide the amusement in his voice. It was all so absurd. That was Hitomi, after all! Hitomi Perfection Kanzaki!

"Yeah," the green-eyed woman answered and looked at her friends, twirling the remains of her little bouquet between her fingers. "Stupid, isn't it?"

"Nah," Dryden said with a warm smile and ruffled her hair, destroying a work of ninety minutes. "If you tell us the reason why you did it, we will understand. Don't worry."

"A reason," Hitomi gave a humorless laugh and shook her head. "Would you believe me if I told you that I don't know the reason? I mean, everything was so perfect. Everything!" She let her hands drop in her lap and sighed. "And when I stood there and everyone was looking at me, I just wasn't sure anymore if I wanted everything to be perfect. I...I..."

"You were afraid?" Millerna finished quietly and leaned forward to place her perfectly manicured hand on Hitomi's slightly shaking one. 

"Kind of," the honey-blond beauty replied and smiled weakly, dozens of petals and leaves now lying in her lap. 

"And what now?" Yukari asked and moved a bit closer to her friend so that Amano could sit beside her. The young man with the chestnut-brown hair thanked her with a smile and, wrapping her arms around her waist,  he watched Hitomi over Yukari's shoulder. "Will you go back and explain everything and try it --"

"No!" Hitomi blurted out, her head snapping up. "I mean, no. I can't go back and explain it. What should I say? Sorry, my future husband scared me and I ran away?"

"You mean, you're not going to marry Allen...?" the blond-haired actress on the ground said, slightly shocked, and glanced at Van, whose auburn eyes had never left Hitomi's form since she had entered the café. 

"I...I don't know," the young woman with the amazing green eyes stuttered and looked around, trying to find the answer in the faces of her friends. "I don't know if I could go along the aisle again with Allen standing there and waiting for me without thinking of the fact that I already ran away once. It's not the marriage start I had imagined."

"Do you still love him?" 

It was the first time that Van spoke since the beginning of that conversation, and the question hung in the air like an annoying swarm of gnats which you can't chase away, no matter how hard you try. He had tried to sound casual but he hadn't been able to hide the strain and fear in his voice completely. Over all his joy about the ringless Hitomi, Van had totally forgotten that there was the tiny possibility that she still loved Allen.

Hitomi looked up from her fingers, busy were tearing up the petals and leaves into tiny little pieces. Her still slightly red eyes met Van's unreadable ones. "I don't know," she sighed with a sad smile and turned away again. "I don't know if he's the right one and I don't even know if I can ever look Allen in the eye again!"

"Well in that case, you don't have much of a choice," Dryden suddenly stated dryly and pointed towards the door, making five heads turn around and five pairs of eyes widen.

If you speak of the devil! In the doorframe stood Allen Schezar, dressed in a black suit, his shining blond hair framing his handsome face and a red rose bud in the buttonhole like the dot on the i. His cerulean eyes were fixed on her, Hitomi, his bride. His chest was rising and falling quickly, his features showing confusion and a tiny bit of anger.

What a perfect picture. Bride and groom united again, in a little café somewhere along Hispano Street.

A sudden urge of trying to hide behind Van's tall frame flooded Hitomi as she jerked up brusquely, totally panic-filled; good god, she had ditched her soon-to-be-husband, at least in everyone else's mental schemes… she had left him, dumped him in the altar, like in the films. Without and explanation. 

Although she knew it childish and impossible, she wished to be teletransported to somewhere else, anywhere, as long as Allen wasn't there. Not now, not asking for answers she didn't even know herself. 

Sensing her fear, the dark haired man moved beside her to take her hand and gave her a reassuring squeeze, a gesture that didn't quite please the dumped groom if one was to judge from the scowl on his face when he noticed it. In a matter of seconds he was in front of Hitomi and encircled her tiny waist with his arms protectively, crushing her against his broad chest. 

The red rose bud was starting to wither, she observed laconically, feeling the shiver of his hands around her, as he caressed her spine, his touch possessive, defying the world to dare and take her away from him. He showered her hair with a rain of butterfly kisses, murmuring unintelligible words that came out as hoarse whispers.

Van felt as a teapot right now: rage bubbling as boiling steam inside him, very close to bursting into irate screams and shouts if Allen didn't take his hands off her. He had known it would be bad to see her with another man, but nothing compared to the real feeling that was tearing him apart inside in those precise instants. And he hated it. All in all, as everyone had agreed, they were the perfect couple; he hadn't wanted to believe it, no,  had wanted to hold onto that little hope, the only one he had left, that maybe Allen Schezar was a jerk. 

How many times he had played the scene in his mind, Hitomi realizing that the blonde was a bad choice after all, that she didn't love Allen when she discovered, for example, that he had cheated on her. And, of course, then was when he stepped into the picture, playing the role of the friend whose shoulder one could cry on; in his perfect little story, the heroine discovered her true feelings towards her best friend since childhood, they married and lived happily ever after. Hey, the plan was perfect! Oh, yes, he admitted it was terribly cliché, but for him it would have worked just fine. Heh, only one little problem: he was counting on Allen being a bastard. Something he was obviously not, if he were to trust what he was seeing.

"My god, Hitomi, I thought I'd lost you!" the groom whispered frantically, cupping her face into his hands. She tried to reply, but he sealed her words with a passionate kiss, wanting to make sure she was really there, locked in his embrace with no change of escaping from him again.

Van closed his eyes and bit his lip, replaying the scene in his mind… with some slight twists. _Hitomi bites his tongue and he can't eat for a week._

But no, after a little bit of hesitation at the beginning she finally kissed him back, and Van muffled a low growl building up in his throat. _A mug of coffee falls on his head and he blacks out._

It seems the gods weren't feeling specially generous towards him that day, because no cup conjured above the groom's head; instead, she reluctantly pulled away from their kiss and looked at her fiancé straight in the eye, a serious expression on her beautiful and flushed face. 

When she was about to speak, he placed a finger on her rosy lips to hush her, a silent pledge in his cerulean depths. "No, no, love, let me speak first, please. I really don't care why you did it, it was my fault I didn't notice that you were scared, that you needed me at your side to wash away all your fears, to assure you that everything was going to be all right. I'm sorry that I failed at that, Hitomi, but please let me make it up to you," he murmured, though loud enough for everybody to hear his words. 

Millerna sniffed quietly, plainly moved by what he had said, and Yukari had to admit she was also impressed. For a moment she considered smacking her friend on her honey blond head for having left Allen---a walking dream that any woman would cherish-- when, in her opinion, she ought to be doing exactly the opposite, but she had seen what the eyes of Hitomi held within; and it wasn't what was needed to walk down the aisle with that dazzling man at her side.

"Allen, I-" Hitomi started, but was silenced again with a kiss; she fought back the tears gathering at the corners of her bright green eyes, feeling terribly guilty for what her theoretically-soon-to-be-husband had gone through because of her, for what she had to say and didn't want to, for the pain she would inflict on him. 

He was trembling lightly as he stroke her hair, finally putting her cheek to rest against his chest and embracing her even more fiercely. "Just say, Hitomi, that you will come back with me and build a life at my side, just trust me this time, and I swear I'll make you the happiest woman in the world," he said in an imploring tone, his hands massaging the base of her back in that way he knew she liked so much. 

She arched lightly under his hands; it was a good sign, the blond man thought. There was always passion between them; they were simply perfect together, and he deeply believed in that. The only thing now was to make her believe it as well.

Van clenched his teeth, and the thought of running out of the café flickered in his head for a split second. _She is going to go back to him, damnit_…

If only he could hate the man. Oh, if only Allen was the fucking bastard he had wanted him to be, then he might have been able to pour his rage onto him, accuse him of being a lying fraud who only wanted her because she was the sweetest creature on Earth. But even the frustration, the envy that was eating him alive couldn't convince him of the untruthfulness of the blond man's eyes. It was real love what shone in their pools of sky blue, it was love as strong and intense as the one he felt himself for her. Allen was the mirror of his feelings, only that the blue-eyed man was fully allowed to show them, while he had to bite them back and try to bury them, disguising them as the friendship he knew she wanted to have with him.

She placed both her hands on his broad chest and pushed him back softly, her head lowered and her gaze cast aside, not daring to look into his eyes full of love, full of hope and promise. Hopes she was going to shatter, promised she was going to thwart, love she was going to turn down. 

"Say yes, Hitomi, say you'll come," he encouraged her, trying to draw those little words out of her lips, now swollen from his heated kisses. "Say you'll become my wife."

"I… I can't."  Her voice was choked as she drew out a soft breath, her shoulders slumped and her cheeks crossed by moist trails as tears rolled down her pale face.

Amano placed himself behind Yukari and encircled her waist from behind, pulling her into a tight embrace and thanking the gods that he still had his girlfriend with him. He fervently praised such a thing never to happen to him, because he wasn't sure if he could bear it.

The auburn-eyed man who stood quietly next to them didn't think he could've, either. After having conjured as many disasters and misfortunes as he'd been able to imagine so as to break them apart, he found out that he actually felt a strange mixture of sympathy and envy towards Allen. Envy, because he had been able to hold, her, kiss her… he stopped there because his imagination was known to be very hyperactive, and there were some things he wasn't going to think about, like how intimate the two people in front of him had been. Allen had had her. Sympathy, because he'd also lost her. 

He knew how he would've felt, the rage, impotence, frustration that would've welled inside him if he were to be in his place. To know he had had the world, and that he didn't have it anymore. Hitomi was, for both men, the light in their lives; only shadows lay ahead if she left, if she walked away.

Allen's lower lip trembled slightly at her declaration. "I love you, Hitomi Kanzaki."

She bit her lip, more tears shining in her eyes like iridescent pearls trapped between her dark-blond eyelashes. "Please, don't make it more difficult than what it already is," she whispered with a thread of voice. "I just can't do it, don't ask me why-"

"I haven't!!" he cried out in frustration, pulling her again into his embrace. "I think I already told you, the only thing I want is you, Hitomi!! You were so happy this morning, yesterday, the day before! And now you just… leave it? Without giving it a second thought? You give up on us because you're scared, and that's the end of it?!" he shouted in rage, his trembling now noticeable to all the people in the café.

A woman in her late sixties stepped into the place, dragging along a small poodle who started to sniff the air with a disdainful attitude. "Sorry, could I have a tea with some milk, please?" she asked, adjusting the pair of glasses perched up on her nose. All the people in the café shot her murderous glances, even those who didn't know Hitomi or any of her friends, who were now deeply intrigued and moved by the scene unfolding before their eyes. Gods, how not to… it was better than in the films, only that it was a live show!

Dryden hurried to the woman's side, taking her arm and nearly throwing her outside the small cozy café. "I'm sorry, we're closed," he mouthed before shutting the door again; he then turned to see if the interruption had affected the little scene that was taking place in the middle of his establishment. 

Hah, as if, he smirked dryly; in Allen, Hitomi, Van and the rest of his friends' eyes, the woman had never been there.

The green-eyed bride shook her head, causing more glistening tears to fall onto Allen's black suit. "Please…" she implored, her small hands placed flat against his shoulders, as if she were trying to break free of his fierce embrace, though not strong enough to do it. 

"Please? Please?! Please indeed, Hitomi!! Damnit, I love you!!! And I thought you loved me back," he spat bitterly. "Is there nothing worth fighting for?! Isn't there a single reason to stick with me?! Was it all a lie?!" he roared, grief overcoming his rage and bringing his voice down into a broken whisper. "Are you saying… are you saying this is the end?"

She had thought she could cope with it; yes, she believed she was strong enough to accept all his regrets, all his accusations, but she had been wrong. Oh, how wrong she had been, now she knew. How much it hurt her, to see, to know she could wound him, so deeply she felt despicable for what she was doing, for what she had done. His questions rang in her mind, awakening hundreds of echoes that hammered in her head mercilessly.

Was she being a coward? So coward she couldn't live up to her decisions, that she had to back away and resent them last minute? Doubt and fear crept into her, guiding her thoughts to the option Allen was opening for her. If she went back, everything would be okay. She would be back to her perfect life, and he would be happy. Oh, yes, she did care for his happiness. But she didn't really know if her _own_ happiness was at his side. 

Maybe she should do what he wanted. Go back to the church so that she could forget about that feeling that made her sick, despising herself, hating herself for the hurt she was causing him. _Give it a try_, a part of her cried, _you can be happy at his side, you will make him happy_.

Her inner turmoil must have shown on her face, for Allen's expression changed, growing hopeful again, his hungry hands crushing her against him. He was going to prove it to her, that he was the man that she needed, the man that could make her happy. He brushed her hair gently, lovingly, his lips whispering reassuring words in her ears.

"I need you, Hitomi Kanzaki. I want you to be my wife, there's nothing I want more than that," he vowed.

_It's not you alone, buddy_, thought Van with a dry scowl. He had been sorry for the man as long as he had thought that she was going to dump him anyway, but now that her decision was wavering, he wasn't so sure of that anymore. No, he far preferred pitying Allen and having Hitomi still single and unmarried to pitying himself for not being the one married to her.

"Please…" the groom coaxed her in the sweetest of murmurs, using the same word she'd been saying from the beginning of the conversation.

_Now, that's the end of it. She will say yes, kiss him and happily walk back to the church to live their perfectly happy life, making mine a hell_, though Van, his lips set in a grim line, his black bangs covering the hurt in his deep crimson eyes.

"Allen… just…" she wriggled in his arms as he silenced her with another kiss. _A very effective method to make women shut up, I must admit_, the raven-haired boy observed, wondering how it would be like, to hold her as the blonde was now, to seal his lips with hers with the same passion, the same love. Hitomi smiled faintly when her fiancé broke the kiss and took a deep breath. "…let me finish."

"Of course," he agreed humbly, catching her earlobe between his teeth and sending shivers down her spine. But her words remained unaffected by it.

"… I am going to do exactly as you've told me."

It was like being kicked in the teeth; suddenly Van felt all the air being pulled out of his body, his last crazy, foolish hope crashed, shattered by her decision. _Time to come back to reality_, he though bitterly. _This is the end of it_.

Allen beamed at her the very same moment he heard what she'd said, but before he could utter another word it was her who placed her hand on his lips this time. "No, listen to all I have to say. I didn't say I was going to go back. I can't do that, and believe me that I am really sorry, but I simply… it's beyond… I just can't do it. But," she added, as she felt him deflating, his eyes covering with the shadow of grief again, "I am going to find out. Answers, I mean. I intend to find out if there is really something… I can go back to. If it's worth fighting, as you said. And when I have my answers… well…"

"We'll get married," he finished ardently; she shook her head, a sad smile on her lips.

_Like hell you will!,_ Van silently vowed, the fire of resolution running through his veins again. She was not getting married. She was not getting married! … y_et_, he hastily added, though it was a word he would be willing to erase from that statement, and the sooner the better. So, the gods weren't feeling so wicked after all…

"I can't assure that, Allen… maybe it's better if you get used to the idea that perhaps I won't marry you…" she said, a new strength filling her as she finally got to speak her mind. Time to think. That's what she needed right now.

"Okay then, when she knows what she wants we'll send you a note," Yukari chirped sternly, separating the two of them with a firm hand and pushing Allen towards the door. "Now, my dear, I think you've caused enough havoc in the little bride here, so it's time for you to leave her to her thoughts. Byedibye, see you in a while, now go." Yukari told him firmly, though absolutely calm, an edge of feistiness in her voice.

He seemed dumbfounded by her words, nodding dumbly, though not before stealing a kiss from Hitomi's lips and shouting a very heartfelt 'I love you!' from outside the Escaflowne.

"And lemme tell you that you were an idiot for not calling me for the wedding, I would've taken the best pictures you could think of!!" Yukari shouted back, just before he disappeared into a taxi, his eyes never quitting the green-eyed girl's frame.  The red head closed the door and rubbed her hands with a bright smile on her face.

"Hey Hitomi, where's the hidden camera?" she asked playfully, her hands on her hips. "I just know there has to be one around here…"

The world, that had seemed frozen for as long as Allen had been in the café, resumed its normal pace, murmurs filling the establishment at once while side looks were shot at the bride, who was too distressed to actually notice them.

Dryden scoffed. "Yah, kinda like taken out of a soap, huh?" he joked with a grin, going back to the counter to serve the runaway bride a warm cappuccino with tons of cinnamon, as he knew she liked it.

Even though the moist trail of her tears were still shining on her cheeks, the green-eyed girl burst into laughs, immensely grateful for having the friends she had. Simply incredible. They had seen probably the oddest scene in their whole lives, and they didn't ask, they didn't judge her. Accepting, offering her the comfort of a good laugh when a second ago she hadn't thought herself capable of laughing again, at least, until the following day. "Ohmygod, thanks, guys…" she smiled feebly. "I feel like an ass right now, a very stupid and ridiculous one… I've made a complete fool of myself, and in front of all of you…" she whispered, biting her lip unconsciously.

Van stepped forward to her, but Millerna was quicker and hugged her warmly, patting her back softly. "Don't be silly, we're all very proud of what you did and said," she smiled as Hitomi tried to protest meekly.

"But-"

"No 'buts', missy, and that's all you're going to think about it for today. We've already had a handful of wedding and Allen, so now you're gonna relax and forget about it for a while," the pale blonde declared, tucking her between a few pillows on the couch and straightening the creases on her beautiful wedding gown. "What you need now is a warm bath, a nice supper and a movie to watch until you fall asleep."

"_Runaway Bride_?" Dryden suggested with an impish grin, and Millerna threw a pillow at him in response, though her aim wasn't that good, so the item ended up hitting Van, who was still standing in the middle of the café.

Yukari poked the raven-haired man softly, a giggle escaping her lips. "I think his brain cells are still trying to understand that you're not getting married, 'Tomi," she chuckled, and Van thanked the heavens that the red-head wasn't looking at him when she said the words, as he could've sworn his cheeks had gone deep red.

"Well, it's been quite something, if you ask me," said Amano finally, sitting carelessly on the couch next to Hitomi and Millerna. "On your wedding day, first you burst into the café saying you've ran away from the groom, then he appears and nearly makes you go back, then you don't… I really thought you were going to give in back there, you know," he commented, and the green-eyed girl smiled sadly.

"I thought I was, too…"

Waves of relief washed over Van as the realization, the full implication of what had just happened, finally and completely sank in. Gods, it was heaven. His love was not getting married, and she really had no intention of doing so. Right then, the world was wonderful, painted with the brightest colors his vivid imagination could conjure. He nearly lost track of the conversation taking place in the café, revolving now around Hitomi's new situation.

"I was living with Allen, but I think it's quite clear that I'm not going back there, no way," she explained, closing her eyes for a moment. Yukari kissed her forehead in a sisterly way and grinned.

"Don't worry 'bout that, love. We'll think of something…" she assured her, then shot Millerna a questioning glance. The woman with violet eyes frowned, as she tried to work out a solution for their friend.

"Didn't Fionna just tell us that she was planning on moving with her boyfriend next month?" she asked her flat mate arching a questioning eyebrow; Yukari slammed her fist into her palm, giving Hitomi a dazzling smile.

"Thaaat's it!!" she shouted happily. "You can move with us! You can sleep with me until Fionna moves out of the place, and then her room is yours. Whaddaya think of it?" Yukari sat on Amano's lap, her liquid brown orbs staring at her honey-blond friend as Hitomi smiled widely, with a pinch of shyness in her expression.

"Would that be possible…?"

Millerna threw her arms around the runaway bride's neck with a giggle. "Sure thing, silly! I'll call Derek and tell him to go and get your bags…"

"Oh puhleease, don't bother him with such… unimportant things," Dryden said cynically, plainly ignoring the murderous glance the violet-eyed woman shot at him. "I'll go," he offered as he planted the cappuccino in front of Hitomi, which she took and avidly drank, the delicious warmth of the coffee filling her with a new determination. 

A new life was starting today. And this time, she was going to make sure it was exactly the kind of life she wanted to have.

As her friends scampered away to busy themselves in different tasks –Dryden to fetch her bags, Millerna to prepare their flat, Yukari and Amano busy… err… well, showing their affection for one another (translation: kissing ^^U)-, she stood alone in front of the counter, looking at her reflection on the clean and polished surface of it. 

She saw a woman that was satisfied with what she'd chosen. And now, she was free to savor what life may have reserved for her.

"Hitomi…" his voice was no more than a hoarse whisper behind her, his hot breath tickling the back of her bare neck. She smiled; as long as her friends were with her, everything would be all right. The green-eyed girl turned around to face Van, who beamed at her, his eyes crinkling at the ends when he did so; hugging him wildly, Hitomi breathed in his fresh scent, and felt at home.

"Van…"

"I'm glad to have you back," he murmured, hugging her as well. 

                                                                                                     [#############]

At first a big big THANK YOU and an even bigger hug for all the ones who reviewed!!!! Thanks a lot, people!!!!

Dee:That's it for now. Not much, we know but hey, at least, Tomi's not with Allen, right?! ^_________^

Ryuu: Aye aye *ducks flyin' vegetables* we saw some ppl were quite... shocked... c'mon, ye didn't really think we could leave them together, did ye??

Dee: Nooo, of course, not!! ^____________^

Ryuu: So, here we have the real start of our dear Tomi's lil life... we hope ye stick te her through all that's te come...

Dee: And it'll be quite a lot *wink wink*

Byedihoooo and till next time!!!!!


	3. A New Beginning

Ryuu: *waves pirate hat* ahoy!! We're back! Aft *looks guilty* nearly 2 months... sorry fer makin' ye wait so much, lads an' lassies...   
Dee: Yes yes, but blame school and college!!!! Not our fault!!! Darn those exams *mutters some not so nice words under her breath*   
Ryuu: *gives Dee high five* exaactly *grumbles* me now right in the middle o' me exams... so aye, wish us the best o' lucks an' enjoy the third chapter o' this lil piece o' craziness we 'ave 'ere! *grins*   
Dee: Wait...do you really think that lads are reading this?   
Ryuu: *sweatdrops* ahem... 'nybody there? *echoe answers her* uh oh... nay, they've all scrolled down *sigh*   
Dee: *bursts out laughing* Well, we can't blame them, now can we?! ^_^ Who wants to listen to our pondering when they can read the chapter instead?!   
Ryuu: ^^UU... ye're right, damsel... but we must announce that this chapter, we decided te write review replies!   
Dee: Yesyes, we wanted to personally thank aaaaaaaaaaaaaaall the wonderful people who reviewed!!!   
*both hugging them all tightly*   
Ryuu: so, enjoy the read an' aft the chapter, there replies go! So, go read *shoves readers te the story*   
Dee: Have fuuuuuuuuuuuuun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   
*both wave hands madly* 

**Chapter 3. A new beginning**

_Peep._

_Peep._

_Peep._

_Peep._

_Hello, this is the answering machine of Uchida Yukari, Millerna Aston and Hitomi Kanzaki. Sorry, we're not in at the moment, or perhaps we're having a shower and can't answer the phone, so if you want to, leave us a message after hearing the beep. Bye bye!_

The serene voice of the recorded tape, belonging to Millerna, was chorused by a series of yells that could be identified as Yukari's, screeching something on the lines of 'Tomiii, get me a toilet paper roll, it's urgent!" in the background. 

He sighed, starting to be sick of talking to the answering machine. 

"Hitomi, this is Allen… do you know what day's today? 24th October… ten days since you cancelled the wedding. This waiting is killing me inside… I haven't seen you in two days, I need to talk to you, Hitomi. Please call me back." 

_Click._   
  


But the addressee of the message had her mind in some other place, walking down Hispano Street with a newspaper tightly clutched in her right hand and a huge frown adorning her forefront. She had never imagined how difficult reorganizing her whole life from the very base was going to be. The honey-blond woman had had to adapt to her new lifestyle in the blink of an eye, and she was finding it hard to readjust to some things. _Such as_, her mind grumbled in total frustration, _finding a damn place to **work** at!_

She had scanned the newspaper's job section about five times already since she'd bought it fifteen minutes ago in the kiosk at the corner of the street, a few blocks away from her apartment. She used to go out jogging in the morning to clear her head, as she'd loved running since she was a kid, and on her way back to their shared flat she would buy the newspaper to dive anxiously into the job section and see if she could find what she was looking for. 

But she hadn't been lucky yet. And so she stormed into the Escaflowne Café like an enraged Fury, making all heads turn in her direction. Well, she was getting used to that, after all it happened like every day, as her entrances in the place were always quite spectacular. Not that she'd topped herself after that memorable, fateful day when she'd burst into the place dressed in dazzling white, but some could think she'd been trying. Hard. 

"What is it this time, 'Tomi?" grinned Dryden behind the counter, serving a café au lait to a thirty-ish brunette and her boyfriend, hand in hand and sharing intimate kisses now and then. "Did the taxes rise, maybe there was a catastrophic accident in Astria, or perhaps it's because of the basramits fishing whales?" 

She arched an irritated brow and sat on a stool as regally as she could. "You should be concerned about how our world goes too, you know," she muttered indignantly, as she carelessly left the newspaper on the counter and sulked. "Basram has no right to do what they're doing with the poor beasts," the green-eyed woman scowled, as she was terribly touchy when those things were concerned. Add to it that it wasn't quite her day, and the result of that explosive combination was shot at Dryden under the form of a ferocious frown. 

What on Gaea was a twenty-four-year-old veterinarian supposed to do with herself, how to earn some money when there wasn't a single job she could apply for? Some way or other, all the notes on the paper had something that put her off. 

_Needed qualified veterinarian. Well-paid, if interested call 0612030912_. Via telephone she'd discovered the rest of stuff that went along with the job, that is, working in a farm, in the Floresta Mountains, with cows. She snorted. _What then, play Heidi with the cows and goats in my free time? Or maybe take the three-hour drive back to Fanelia to pop in the Esca and bring the people some wild flowers from the idyllic paradise of peace?_ Peace, and boredom. Nope, definitely not for her. 

_Young veterinarian needed to work in the Nina Clinic_. Appealing, yes, until she'd found out they dealt with snakes, and if there was something she **couldn't** handle, it were those. Maybe because of that visit to the circus when she'd been ten, during which she'd ended up as volunteering for a snake show… The reptile had decided to deafly ignore its mistress' commands, and Hitomi had endured the most terrifying moments of her life, thinking that the snake that was slowly creeping up her body was going to strangle her, or give her a death kiss. So, that job was also discarded. 

Dryden placed her usual cappuccino in front of her before he started dusting the coffee machine, whistling the song that was on the radio that morning. "So, no luck yet, sweet?" he inquired sympathetically. 

"Do I look like a person that's recently won the lottery?" she grumbled, taking in a sip of hot coffee, so hot it burnt her tongue. The honey-blonde cursed under her breath and asked for a glass of water, knowing that her palate would be out of action for at least the whole day. 

A low chuckle made her turn her head towards the couch; there, a mop of black hair informed Hitomi that her best friend was lazily sitting in the Escaflowne while the rest of the world was working. Well, everybody but her, she thought irritably, and stomped to where he was to see what he was doing. 

Van Fanel, dressed in a blue shirt and a pair of faded blue jeans, was, indeed, the one sitting on the couch, with a cup of tea on the low table in front of him, a pile of papers on his thighs and a pen dancing between his fingers like only him could do. When he noticed the ominous shadow of Hitomi approaching him, he lifted his gaze to greet her with a bright and slightly sheepish smile, sensing that the dark cloud looming above her head wasn't exactly the best of signs. He could perfectly understand her nervousness those past days, with all the problems that had risen those past days –Allen coming in to beg her to go back with him, the whole lot of trouble all removals held within, calling all the banks to give them her new address…-, and wasn't willing to offer her more sources of distress. 

"YOU!" she said, pointing at him with an accusing finger. "You that have a job suddenly decide that Wednesday's not a working day and take a day off? While I am here frantically searching a freaking place to work at because I need the freakin' money??" she screeched, a few decibels louder than she'd originally indented. 

He sweat dropped and sighed, a smile curving his lips upwards while he buried his hand in his dark strands absently. "Err… Hitomi, remember today's the Atlantean Day? There aren't any lessons today in all Fanelia," he explained calmly, and she blushed at his words with a small frustrated groan. The green-eyed woman fell onto the couch at his side with a despaired sigh, shaking her head. 

"Gee, I'm sorry, Van, I guess this is getting on my nerves…" she apologized, her eyes closed and her lips parted, a mask of tiredness covering her pretty features. He patted her shoulder gently with an understanding smile. 

"Don't worry, I could also be very near a nerve attack myself so no need to apologize," he said, resuming the task he'd been doing before her accusation. He'd slipped into the routine of acting as her 'childhood friend' effortlessly, as if it belonged to the natural course of things. After all, he'd known her like forever, and he could, someway, feel what she needed, read in her eyes, movements and words what was brewing inside that pretty head of hers. And, right now, she needed support, not some unexpected announcement of '_Hey guess what, the guy you thought to be your best friend has been in love with you for years and came to snatch you from your wedding, even if you saved him the work and escaped by yourself. Come, let's get together and live happily ever after'._   


She needed their support to set the bases for a new life, and he wasn't going to put any more emotional strain on her in her readjusting period, the time to make amends with the past to look forward to the future. 

Hitomi eyed him curiously. "A nerve attack? What are you doing?" 

Van let out a laugh and waved a few sheets of paper in his hand, tapping with his pen on them. "Tests. I'm correcting exams…" he explained. "It's my first week as a teacher in that high school, and I wanted to see how much they knew… the results speak for themselves," he stifled a snigger. 

"Are their Physics so bad?" she asked, and he gave her an amused glance as he reached for a determinate test paper on the pile of already corrected exams that was on the table. His burgundy depths scanned over the formula-covered sheet for a second until he found what he'd been looking for. 

"Listen and judge for yourself," he cocked his head to a side and then he started reading. "Calculate the exact time a plane needs to take off if we know that the speed needed to do so is 165 km/h, and the acceleration is of 30 m/s2, starting from an initial speed of 0 km/h." 

"Okay, I remember that kind of stuff from high school," she smiled. "You used to pass me the results in the exams… remember that day you got caught and the teacher made you stay two hours after the end of the classes? I'm still thankful that you didn't tell the Fugitive that it was me the one you'd been trying to pass the solutions to," she grinned when her school days with Van came to her mind, and all the nicknames they'd made up for their teachers. 

Van chuckled. "Yeah, I remember… well, I really hope this lil guy over here didn't do it, as it would be a little bit too obvious… he answered that 'The plane will need 23 hours and 52 minutes to take off'." 

She burst out laughing into tiny giggles that made his spine tingle and his insides warm at the sound of her carefree laugh. "He wrote _that_?" 

He nodded solemnly. "Oh, and he even underlined it twice, writing below that he's 'absolutely sure that the result is correct'," Van pointed out, showing her the wobbly handwritten figures. "And then there's another girl who discovered in the second problem that the satellite was placed 50 meters above level sea… maybe the plane of this boy almost crashed into the poor device a few years after having taken off," he joked, and she gave in to laughter uninhibitedly, feeling that, once more, the raven-haired man had brightened up her day. 

"Oh God, I never thought being a Physics and Maths teacher could be so much fun," she commented after the chuckles had receded. Van shook his head, holding the pen between his teeth as he left the stack of tests on the table to pick up his tea and take a sip of it. 

"Most of the time, it isn't. Results like this can be really depressing if you've been the one teaching them before the exam, but this time I can lie back and laugh as much as I want, seeing what disasters I'll have to mend this year…" he smiled absently. "Maybe it's not as rewarding as saving the urban fauna we get around here, but I like it," the auburn-eyed man grinned at her and, as always, she felt compelled to smile back. She'd noticed that Van didn't really, truly and fully smile much, but when he did and the grin reached his eyes, it was one of the most adorable visions she could recall seeing. 

"Hah, the only fauna I've seen these days are Yukari's fishs, as she discovered some of them have suicidal tendencies," she snorted. "She's really going to die from a heart attack with all this Amano party, I think she'll positively kill me if another day comes to an end and I tell her I still haven't got his present." 

Van looked at her wide-eyed in a mock expression of surprised horror. "No present yet? What are you waiting for then? The party is this Friday, girl!" he said, knowing how carefully well his flatmate's girlfriend had prepared Amano's surprise birthday party. 

The green-eyed girl muffled a giggle. "Yeah, and I'm amazed that Yukari has managed to keep it a secret from Amano this long… gee, she'll burst if she has to remain silent for another day!" 

She sighed deeply and leaned against the backrest of the couch again, her eyes focused on the ceiling where reflections of sunlight danced, creating delicate patterns on the wooden panels. The conversations in the café that mixed with the quiet music reached her faintly, as if it was a great effort to break through the turmoil of thoughts in her mind. She didn't even notice that Van was watching her with intense eyes. 

"You know what?" he announced and his lips turned into a warm smile when he placed the sheets of paper he had been holding onto the table in front of him. Suspiciously narrowed brows greeted him when he turned around. "This depressed look doesn't suit you. You definitely need distraction. So, what about we go shopping and look for Amano's present?" 

"You think this will make me happy?" Hitomi replied and narrowed her eyes even more, an intense green sparkling through small slits. You always had to be careful when a man was voluntarily offering to go shopping. 

"Of course! When women are depressed they either eat or go shopping. Men invade another country," Van shrugged casually. "I'd say you can be glad that I'm not depressed." 

He earned a smack on the arm but it was worth the grin that tugged at her lips. It could rain for ages, but as long as she was smiling, everything was alright. 

"You'd really do that?" Hitomi asked quietly and looked at Van, who was emptying his mug with a mighty gulp. 

"At your service," he stated with a lop-sided grin and bowed deeply, unruly strands tumbling over his auburn eyes which were glinting with amusement. "I have the day off, remember? I'm bored." 

"Workaholic, aren't we?" the sandy-blond woman replied with a smirk and pointed at the pile of testpapers at the table. "But what about that? Don't you have to correct them?" 

"My pupils won't mind if they don't get back the test tomorrow, believe me," Van answered with a sheepish expression on his face and scratched the back of his head, looking like a little boy who had just broken a glass. "They didn't look exactly happy when they left the classroom, you know. I think they'd actually like me to burn their tests." 

Hitomi chuckled. "I really can't imagine you as an evil and hated teacher," she reassured him, and then crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Fine then, let's go. But don't say I didn't warn you. You absolutely don't know what you're letting yourself in for." 

"I like surprises," the raven-haired man countered, his eyes sparkling challengingly. 

"Your choice," she replied with a shrug, and Van swiftly rose from the couch, stretching his lazy bones and ruffling his hair. 

He tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn and ran a hand over his face, before he reached into the pockets of his pants and fished for some money. He smiled when the coins clinked between his fingers and put them onto the saucer of his mug. "We have to go to my apartment first," he addressed Hitomi and collected the sheets of paper which lay scattered across the table, seemingly without any system. "I just want to get rid of those ones." 

[#########] 

"Millerna!" 

It was a shriek that was able to penetrate the walls of apartment 302 and, had it been only an octave higher, it would've made the glasses in the cupboard shatter. It was like the screech of a little child who'd seen this utterly amazing toy everybody needed and that was praised in the tv ads, but whose mother simply refused to buy it. Ever heard something like that? Makes you want to stick your head in a pile of sand. 

"Millerna!" 

The young woman who was sitting between innumerable pink and white pillows on the bed in her room took a deep breath and slowly closed her eyes, rubbing her temples in little circles. She could feel a headache approach like she would feel an elephant stomp past her in the forsaken savannas within the heart of Daedalus. Oh, how she wished to be there. Far, far away from that annoying something in her living room. When was the next flight to Iborian, capital of heavenly Daedalus, her self-choosen paradise? 

When the third screech echoed in her ears like fingernails on a blackboard, her eyes snapped open, violet orbs blazing. With a snarl, Millerna angrily threw the script she'd been reading earlier onto her nightstand, noisily sending her alarm clock to the ground, but she didn't pay any attention to it. Instead, she hurried to reach the door before that insane woman who unfortunately happened to be her friend could call her again. An image flashed in her mind; an image of her having to decide between Yukari and a starving lion. 

"What, Yukari?" she asked, annoyed and exasperated, when she opened the door. "I have to learn my role in this script by heart before the day after tomorrow! So what _for heaven's sake_ is it this time?"   


Shining red hair was intensely sparkling in the sunlight illuminating the place in the living room where the table stood, right in front of the tv – and where Yukari was kneeling in a nest she had obviously built herself. Various magazines were scattered around her with letters sticking out of between them here and there, Millerna's romance novels functioning as highlights. Yukari had successfully managed to empty the place under the table where every occupant of that apartment put the things they'd read when bored. 

The lion. She would definitely choose the lion. She could accompany him on his hunt. For Yukari, maybe. 

"Can I ask what you're doing there?" Millerna questioned warily, with an irritatingly calm voice for which any psychiatrist would've envied her. 

"I'm searching for the stupid telephone book!" the redhead exclaimed, and threw another handful of magazines over her shoulder, glaring at Millerna. "Did you take it? I can't find it! It isn't here under the table where it actually should be!" 

"Well," the violet-eyed woman began and tossed her blond curls over her shoulder. Yukari could be glad that there were good reasons for her to act like that, or else Millerna would simply wring her neck. "Maybe it isn't there because you took it with you when you wandered into the bathroom, last time?" 

"I did?" Yukari replied and her vivid brown eyes brightened instantly. 

"And it might still be there if you didn't decide to carry it somewhere else in the last fifteen minutes," Millerna nodded hissing the last words, and leaned against the doorframe with a desperate sigh, brushing a lock out of her face. 

Sheets of paper rustled and were mercilessly crumpled and torn when Yukari jumped to her feet and rushed towards the bathroom, almost slipping on the face of Maaya Sakamoto, a famous singer in Fanelia, who was smiling brightly from the smooth cover of the Cosmopolitan. 

"Hey, what's the matter anyways?" the blonde called after Yukari when the redhead grabbed the cordless receiver and disappeared behind the door but the answer was nothing but loud rumbling. 

Grunting, Millerna turned away and faced Yukari's nest again, knowing quite well who was going to clean up that mess. The redhead could live perfectly well with their apartment being in a preliminary state of chaos but Millerna couldn't. With the intention to hurt Yukari later on, she pushed herself off of the doorframe and started to pick up the magazines, putting them back where they belonged. 

She could hear Yukari's loud voice from out of the bathroom, making her wonder if the woman was talking to a person who was hard of hearing. But then again, it was always like that; if the redhead called her on the mobile phone, everyone in a range of around three meters around her could follow their conversation for Yukari was speaking so loud. 

The soft clinking of keys stopped her ranting and she turned around to find Hitomi in the doorway. The sandy-blonde's cheeks were flushed for it was autumnally chilly outside and she was looking at Millerna with her brows raised in both surprise and suspicion. 

"What did you do?" she asked slowly, her hand still resting on the key. 

"What did **_she_** do!" Millerna replied angrily and cocked her head towards the bathroom, making her long hair sway gently. "I just hope that this birthday party will soon be over! But tell me, what are you doing here? I thought you were looking for a job. Did you already find something?" 

"No," Hitomi snorted and stared at the parquet floor, watching dust dance along the sunbeams. "But maybe it's because of me and that I'm wanting too much. You know, there were quite some offers in the newspaper but it wasn't exactly what I was searching for." 

"Nah, the perfect job will sooner or later cross your way, don't worry," the violet-eyed woman reasured her with a wink and rose from the ground, a pile of books pressed to her chest. 

Hitomi eyed them curiously and one brow rose suspiciously when she read the title but Millerna just shrugged, a sheepish grin appearing on her features. "You still didn't tell me what you were doing here," she stated and turned around in order to bring her books into her room. 

"I just wanted to see if everything is alright," Hitomi answered and still didn't make any attempt to leave the door. "Van offered to go shopping with me because he couldn't put up with me stepping on his nerves anymore and now, I'm waiting for him to -" 

But she wasn't able to finish the sentence, for right then the bathroom door flew open and Yukari appeared, grumbling to herself and obviously trying to crush the receiver in her hands. Hitomi and Millerna, who had just exited her room, exchanged worried glances and watched the redhead cross the living room, expecting steam to come out of her ears at any moment. 

"What's the problem?" Millerna asked quietly, her arms crossed in front of her chest and her eyes set on Yukari who slammed the receiver onto the telephone, the machine emitting an unhealthy, cracking noise. 

"It seems as if someone really intends to destroy everything!" she exclaimed and her shoulders visibly sagged. "I just called this one friend of Amano who was supposed to cook at his birthday and wanted to talk with her about the meal and such but she just told me that she can't come! And now, I have nobody to cook!" 

"But you can cook," Hitomi said and Yukari turned around, glaring at her with annoyance written in capital letters across her face. 

"Yeah, it's enough to feed the both of you who could even burn water, but it's nothing special," the readhead replied and leaned her forehead against the wall beside her, beginning to bang her head against it. "Where do I get a cook from?" 

"Yukari, no!" Hitomi said and hurried to her friend to stop her from turning her brain to mush. "Stop it! We'll find a solution but, please, just stop that! Millerna, will you help me!" 

Blond eyebrows raised in surprise and confusion, the young woman pointing at herself and the innocent expression on her face, asking: _Me_? "Tell me one reason why I should do that," she countered casually and crossed her arms in front of her chest, deciding to enjoy that sight a little bit more. 

Hitomi snorted. What a humble excuse for not knowing an argument to defense Yukari in that current state of hers. 

"Hello, ladi – oh, looks like I didn't come in the best of moments?" a deep voice from the door interupted them and the two heads turned to face the familiar mop of tousled, raven-black hair. A pair of confused, burgundy orbs was looking at them, dark brows raised. "Do you need any help?" 

"Van, tell her that it's not the end of the world to have no cook!" Hitomi pleaded and struggled to keep Yukari from banging her head against the wall again. 

The raven-haired man looked from Hitomi to Millerna, who leaned in the doorway to her room with an indifferent look on her face, and then to Yukari, who finally managed to let her skull collide with the wall only to have Hitomi smack her hard. "Why do you need a cook?" he asked and scratched his head. 

"For Amano's birthday party," the brown-eyed girl groaned. "What am I going to do now?" 

"Well, if it's that necessary and you have nobody, I can cook if you want me to," Van stated with a shrug and the three women blinked in surprise. "What?" he asked warily, one dark brow raised in confusion. 

"You can cook?" Hitomi half laughed, half asked with amusement and disbelief in her voice. 

"Yeah," the auburn-eyed man answered defensively and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his pants. "I lived for two years on my own, Hitomi. And believe me, you start cooking at the latest when your stomach is grumbling so loud that you can't understand your own thoughts and you absolutely can't see the microwave or fast food anymore." 

The green-eyed woman just grinned and Yukari stared at him with her eyes glowing like the ones of someone who was about to die of thirst in the desert and now saw an oase right in front of her. He watched her approach, preparing himself to retreat as soon as she made any move to jump at him. But she only grabbed his shirt. "You would do that?" she asked, staring right at him. 

"If you want me to," he replied with a shrug. 

"And you can cook something special?" she continued, tightening the grip on his shirt even more, fearing that he would just run off and ruin all her plans. "You know, not like that what I cook to feed those two parasites over there." 

"We love you, too, 'Kari," Hitomi and Millerna chirped in unison, the sarcasm that was dripping from their voices almost flooding the living room. 

"If you want me to," Van repeated patiently and watched in surprise an angry flicker rush across Yukari's lively brown eyes, her brows knitting instantly. 

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" she asked, growling, as if he was the reason for all of her problems, but Van simply pryed her hands off of his shirt, a smug smile playing on his lips. 

"You didn't ask," he replied nonchalantly and held her hands apart, ignoring her growling and looking at Hitomi over the redhead's shoulder. "Can we go then?" 

The green-eyed woman nodded with a grin and headed for the door, leaving the apartment together with Van in order to knock about the shopping mile of Fanelia. 

It was late afternoon and the wet sidewalks were crowded with people, walking over the carpet of soaked leaves and their conversations mingling with the noises of the street. The dying autumn sun was sending a few weak sunbeams through the thick, grey-blue clouds that were covering the sky, indicating that rain was about to soak the earth again. A strong and cold wind was chasing along the gorges created by the skyscrapers of Fanelia, making Hitomi duck her head farther between her shoulders so that the collar of her jacket would cover her whole neck. It was cold, even for autumn. 

She glanced at Van, walking calmly beside her, the wind tugging madly at the pitch-black strands of his unruly hair, and could do nothing but grin by looking at the two bags he had carelessly slung over his shoulder. A sheepish expression crept upon her face when she noticed him watching her out of the corners of his unfathomable eyes. Though they had started their shopping trip only less than an hour ago, she had already bought two bags with things which were far from being a fitting birthday present for Amano. She _did_ feel guilty. 

But why was it always like that? If she intended to buy something, she would buy everything but what she had intended to. If she wanted to buy a shirt, she would end up buying a skirt or pants. If she intended to buy shoes, she would end up buying a shirt. And if she intended to buy a birthday present, she would definitely _not_ buy one. It was the same with the less money you have, the more you want to buy. She snorted. She did something wrong, that was for sure. 

Hitomi needed all her strength to turn her head away from the shop-window they were just passing by, where the dummy wore a beautiful and wonderfully warm jacket. No, Amano would not like this jacket.   


With a sigh, she hid her clammy fingers in the pockets of her jacket (which wasn't as half as warm as the one in the shop-window) and listened to the splashing noises their shoes caused on the puddle-sprinkled ground. "Did you miss it?" she asked quietly when she glanced at Van again; his eyes were sparkling a warm brown with flecks of lively red peeking from between it, just like the colourful foliage of the trees along the street created by autumn, the master of colours itself. 

"Missed what?" he replied and turned to face her, black strands dancing in his view. "Fanelia? Yeah, I did miss it. Palas is totally different and somehow I never really felt at home there. The city is colder and so incredibly big that you can do nothing but feel lost. But even more I missed the people." 

Looking up at him, Hitomi found him smiling lop-sidedly down at her. "Of course, who would not miss us?" she exclaimed and poked him playfully in the ribs, earning a deep and amused chuckle. "But I still can't believe that you really moved back here and didn't tell me. You tend to surprise me, Van Fanel." 

"It was my pleasure," he winked at her and then sighed, broad shoulders visibly sagging and making him look somewhat despaired. "I moved to Palas to try something but it didn't turn out the way I had expected and that's the reason why I came back, I think. It seems as if it wasn't such a bad idea after all, now that you changed your mind about a...well, certain event." 

She saw the warm gleam in his eyes, before she turned away to watch the street ahead, people walking busily past them and the sound of tires on wet asphalt a continuous noise. "Yeah, it was a good idea," she replied in a whisper, kicking a little stone with the tip of her shoe and watching it jump along the sidewalk. "As if you knew that I would need you. But we talked enough about my love life, really, and I feel as if I only bore you. Tell, what about you? We haven't seen each other for two years and I want to know everything about your love life!" 

He looked at her and saw the well-known, mischievous sparkle in her bright green orbs. "What love life?" 

"You're kidding," she stated with her hands on her hips, her brows knitted in slight anger but he just shook his head. "You're trying to tell me that Prince Charming himself had no girl-friend for the last two years? Nobody you left behind in Palas? No incredible romance? Not even a kiss?" He shook his head with every question and was visibly enjoying it, an amused grin tugging at his lips. 

"What's wrong with you?" Hitomi exclaimed and stopped in front of the window of a jeweller, expensive rings and chains sparkling in the warm light of the halogen lamp in the shop-window behind her. 

"Why do you think it's because of me?" he asked indignantly and spread his arms in a desperate fashion, waving her bags about. 

"Oh, for I can tell that it's not because of the female beings around you!" the sandy-blonde said and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Just look! They are drooling all over the sidewalks and I would bet my head that quite some of them are stripping you with their eyes!" 

"Nice try, Hitomi," Van replied and stuffed his cold hands in the pockets of his pants, his burgundy eyes never leaving her emerald ones. He didn't even glance sideways to look at the two young women who had just walked past them and had blushed at Hitomi's words, giggling all the way down the street. 

"I can't believe it!" she cried in frustration, throwing her hands up and turning away from her stubborn friend. The shop-window was so much nicer to talk to. "You could have almost every woman you want and you're absolutely oblivious to it." 

Silently, he joined her side and his tall figure towered above her, auburn eyes watching her profile carefully. "Maybe I don't want every woman," he replied quietly and looked at their reflections in the window, a warm shimmer illuminating their faces. "The right one just didn't cross my way yet, that's all." 

The green-eyed woman stopped scanning over the golden and silver chains with amethysts and emeralds sparkling in every shape; it was a symphony of fragile forms and intense colours, unfortunately too expensive for her wallet, though it was enough to just look at it. "Gee, Van," she sighed and glanced briefly at the raven-haired man beside her, who had this seemingly everlasting aura of calmness around him, and his jaw set firmly in the stubborn way that indicated that the discussion was over for him. "You wouldn't even notice the woman that is meant for you even if she stood directly beside you." 

His handsome features softened and his lips curled into a faint, sad smile when he turned to look at her, green eyes already resting on a pair of earrings again. "Oh no, I would, believe me," he whispered and it hardly reached her, the wind easily tearing the only breathed words from his lips. 

And he knew that no matter how fast he ran and no matter how hard he tried, how far he could stretch out his arm, he wouldn't reach her at that very moment in time. A chasm was separating them, deeper than anyone could ever imagine, made of her own conflicting emotions and his inability for showing his affection to her. But something was hindering him from spreading his wings and just fly to her. He was trapped watching her from afar, longing for a smile, a touch of her. And that's why he kept every moment he could pretend to be near her dearly in his heart; _saving them for bad times_, he added bitterly. 

Hitomi was just about to turn to face him with raised brows when something in the window caught her every attention, gold sparkling on smooth, black silk. "Oh my god, Van!" she cried and nearly crushed her nose at the window, trying to melt through the glass and her breaths misting it over in the process. "Look at that! Look!" 

The young man smiled at her in surprise, emerald eyes as wide as saucers and glowing like those of a little child who saw snow for the first time. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold, her creamy skin covered with small, red dots because of the cold wind and her hands pressed flat against the glass of the window. It was a sight that made a warmth spread through him that came from the very depths of his heart, remembering him of old times; times that seemed to belong to another life. 

"This chain there, can you see it?" she asked and pointed eagerly with her index finger against the window. "On the black fabric, the golden chain with the pink and tear-shaped gem? I can't believe it! It looks exactly like the one of my grandmother! I thought I would never see something like that again! I..." she trailed off, a tiny smile playing across her lips and a warm expression dancing across her eyes. 

"It's beautiful," Van replied quietly and close to her ear, his voice like a soft caress. "Why don't you buy it?" 

"Haha, very funny, Van," Hitomi said and turned to glare at him, a slightly annoyed expression on her face. "How do you think am I supposed to pay it with no job and a present that is still somewhere waiting for me to buy it?" 

He was just about to reply when the sandy-blonde suddenly shook her head and pressed her hands flat against his chest, shoving him away from the window and stopping him from doing something foolish without noticing it herself. Oh yes, it would have been foolish to offer her that and Van knew it. She surely wouldn't have noticed the intention behind his oh-so-unselfish offer but he would have secretly raised his hopes even higher; and the higher they were raised, the more it hurt to have them crushed again. And still he would have done it, even if it had only been for the sparkle in her eyes. 

"No no," Hitomi repeated again and shook her head vigorously, shoving him far away from the shop. "I'll be strong! I can resist the urge to buy it! I don't want to ask my parents for money, no no!" 

Van looked down at her with an unreadable expression on his face, strands of pitch-black hair swaying softly in the cold breeze. Yes, he would do everything for the sparkle in her eyes; if it was moving the clouds or Gaea, it didn't matter at all. 

"Hey, Van," Hitomi's slightly impatient voice woke him from his thoughts, the young woman waving her hand in front of his face and making him blink away the shadow that had hooded his gaze. "Everything alright?" 

"Of course it is," he replied flatly after a short moment of hesitation, and turned away from her anxious eyes, watching a torn sheet of newspaper that was twirling across the sidewalk and trying to outrun the already dryed leaves on the paved ground. The wind was roaring around the corners of the houses beside them, the noise mixing with the sound of the engines on the street and the barking of dogs that was coming from a sidestreet. "Why shouldn't it?" 

"I don't know," the green-eyed woman whispered and inspected her friend's profile worriedly, delicate brows knitted slightly while trying to decipher the emotions in his eyes almost completely hidden by black eyelashes. "But you seem distracted lately, as if you were far away from here, as if something was bothering you. Is there something on your mind?" 

Van lowered his head even more, glaring at the ground where the coloured nameplate of the little café at the corner of the street was reflected on the ruffled surface of a puddle. Maybe he could glare a hole into the sidewalk, a hole to swallow him so that he could escape her questions. He hated lying to her but why did she have to be so worried in the first place? If she just didn't care, he could fight these damn unspoken feelings in peace. He knew that it was going to eat him up from inside, slowly but steadily, and it wasn't as if there was anything he could do. 

But before he could finish the thought and before he could even think about a reply, he was interupted by loud barking, making him and Hitomi turn around. In the shadows of the street beside them, hemmed by apartment buildings, they saw the figure of a man struggling with a dog, biting and tugging violently at its leash, the echo of the growls reverberating in the alleyway. 

Hitomi didn't hesitate and ran down the sidewalk towards the man, her first thought that of helping him. He was smaller than her, short grey hair covering only half of his head, and he fought with a black dog which reached to his waist. The half-breed was showing pointed teeth, the leash trapped between them and angry growls escaping its fured throat. 

"Excuse me, may I help you?" Hitomi asked when she approached, carefully so as not to irritate the dog even more. 

"Oh, be careful, miss," the elder man replied, seemingly in his late fifties, his nevertheless wise eyes set on her. "Castor is quite the tempered one." 

But the young woman was already about to stretch out her hand, speaking quietly and soothingly to the dog. Castor was tall, yeah. And muscular. Add impressive teeth and you had an intimidating dog indeed, but Hitomi had learned that showing fear was the worst you could do when dealing with his kind. She had learned to show respect. 

Her hand wasn't even shaking when she stroked over the soft, black fur between Castor's intense brown eyes. 

"Gods, Hitomi, do me a favour and get away from him," she heard Van whisper behind her, his voice strained, and she knew that he had to force himself to not simply drag her away from the dog. 

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," the green-eyed woman replied calmly, her hand never leaving Castor's forehead, the growls slowly subsiding. "I attended classes where they were dealing with the psychology of animals. I wouldn't be a good vet if I wasn't able to calm that dog. You should have a little bit more faith in my abilities, Van." 

"You're a vet, miss?" the old man beside her asked and she nodded with a smile, slowly taking the leash out of Castor's mouth. 

"Yes, I finished – oh my god, what's that?" Hitomi exclaimed softly, her eyes travelling over Castor's left hind leg. Something was sparkling between the unruly fur, something liquid. Blood. It was fresh blood, flowing out of a wound at his leg. "He's injured." 

"Yes, he was probably hit by a car," the grey-haired man replied slowly. "I was just about to--" 

"Hitomi, no!" Van's alarmed shout interupted him but it was already to late. 

She may have had the best intentions but tell that to a furious dog with a twenty centimeter long and horribly bleeding gash at his leg. Hitomi touched the wounded limb only with her fingertips but it was enough to cause a pained howl to escape the dog's throat, his head snapping around within the blink of an eye and his sharp teeth sinking into human flesh. 

With a startled yelp, the young woman stumbled backwards and stared horrified at Van who had his arm trapped between merciless jaws. He had intended to snatch her hand away from the dog, but unfortunately he had only been in time to be bitten instead of her. To his luck, Castor was as surprised as him and hastily let go off the unfamiliar thing between his teeth, retreating with a snarl. 

Van immediately clutched his right hand over his injured arm and bit his lip hard to stop himself from shouting some curses that would make the deads turn in their graves. 

"Van!" Hitomi breathed in shock, finally finding her voice again and leaning over to him. "Are you alright?" 

His eyes snapped open and she gasped at what was hitting her with full and unexpected force; blazing, auburn anger. "Damn, no!" he yelled at her, his powerful voice echoing along the street. "A second later and it would have been you instead of me! But no, wait! I forgot your amazing abilities!" 

Hitomi blinked at his outburst and then smiled softly, her muscles relaxing. The scowl on his face was just so much like him. 

"But I'm not one of these people who would say 'I told you so'," he growled and glared from beneath dishevelled bangs, acting a lot like Castor only seconds ago. 

"We have to bring you to the hospital, Van," she stated, green eyes worriedly fixed on the young man who was still holding his bleeding arm. 

"Maybe, the practice of a veterinarian would also do," a calm voice beside them suddenly said, making them look up at the grey-haired man. "Mine is just around the corner. 

[#########] 

  
  
  
  
  
  


"Why do I think that he doesn't like me?" Van pondered, his head resting in the palm of his right hand propped onto the armrest of the chair he was sitting on. He was absorbed in a staring contest with the pitch-black dog who'd bitten him, narrowed brown eyes glaring back at him from behind the bars of the metal cage. 

"You don't make it any better provoking him like that," Hitomi replied without looking up, kneeling beside her friend and bandaging the wound on his left arm with skilled movements. 

"I didn't start," the raven-haired man countered, still staring at the dog and making Hitomi roll her forest-green eyes. 

"Don't be so childish, Van," the young woman stated and tied the white bandage around his forearm. "It wasn't his fault. I scared him and the wound probably hurt like hell. You can't reproach him." 

"Well, I don't bite when it hurts," Van said matter-of-factly and glanced at Hitomi out of the corners of his eyes, her rosy lips twitching lightly. 

Running her fingers over the bandage, she swiftly rose to her feet and grinned down at him. "Of course, you're a good boy," she winked and stretched out her hand, stroking the silky strands gently out of his face which tended to hide his eyes, only to fondle him behind his ears as if he was a dog. 

Van tensed instantly under her touch, goosebumps covering his tanned skin within the blink of an eye. He felt her fingertips graze his scalp softly and he could do nothing but exhale deeply and close his eyes. He was weak and he knew it but he didn't care. If he could have a wish granted, only one, he would wish for time to stop. Stop right at that moment, with her hand in his hair and this pleasant warm feeling pulsing in every fibre of his body. She was like a gentle breeze, able to kindle an untamable fire from a spark within him. 

But he had no wish and time kept on moving, mercilessly. Time had already been passing for an eternity, and it would pass another one, the single plea of a man no reason to change that. 

Hitomi retracted her hand and wandered around the examination room they were in. Closets with doors made of glass that revealed a battery of various medicines rested against the white walls, surrounding a metal table which was sparkling in the light of the lamp above their heads. While absently tracing the frames of the closets with her fingers, Hitomi studied the different pain-killers which were pushing and shoving each other on the shelves. 

The quiet sound of a door opening made her look up and Van stop watching her with unreadable eyes. Paruchi Foruma, as he had introduced himself, entered with a tiny smile on his wrinkled lips, milky gloves covering his hands. 

"I'll put him to sleep now," he stated and walked to the dog in the cage, brown eyes watching him warily. "A nice long sleep will do him good before the operation tomorrow." 

The green-eyed woman glanced around once more, the heavy scent of desinfectant hovering in the air. "What were you doing in that street with Castor, anyways?" she asked curiously, her eyes finally resting on the man who was giving the dog an injection right then, a low growl emitting the fured throat. 

"He's the dog of a good friend of mine," the vet answered and gently rubbed the place where he had set the injection. "But she fell ill some days ago and wasn't able to bring Castor to my practice. I offered to get him myself and that's when you met me." 

"Hmm," Hitomi hummed and continued to stare at the grey-haired man. "And how long have you already been working here?" 

"For twenty years if I remember right," he replied and straightened slowly with a sigh, more wrinkles appearing on his face when he smiled. "My father let me have the practice." 

"I always wanted to work at a place like this," Hitomi smiled and rested her hand on the cold metal table. "When I was a kid, my cat fell terribly ill and my mom went to a vet in the city with me and the poor thing. I was crying the whole way there for I thought my little friend would die. But the vet just gave her an injection and some medicine and told me that everything would be alright again. I think that was the moment I decided to become a vet." 

With a sympathetic expression on her face, Hitomi watched the dog fall slowly asleep, dark eyelids becoming heavy until his head rested on his paws. "And where are you working now?" Mr Foruma asked, throwing the syringe in a small basket beside the door. 

"Oh, I'm not working right now," she replied and her shoulders dropped. "Unfortunately, it's pretty hard to find a job here...or better to say, a job I'd like to do." 

The elder man chuckled. "You're not the only one out there," he stated and a mysterious smile played around his lips. "I was going to search for an assistant and I already expected a heap of students to apply for the job." 

"You're searching for an assistant?" Hitomi asked quickly, her delicate brows raised and her eyes shining with hope. 

"Yeah, I was going to because I feel that I'm slowly getting too old for all that. My mind is willing but my body not. You saw it yourself, I can't handle these tempered dogs well anymore," Mr Foruma answered with another sigh and caught Van's gaze when he looked up, the young man staring frankly at him. "But I think I already found the right one." 

"Oh, you did?" the green-eyed woman said flatly, disappointment swinging in her voice, and directed her gaze to the ground. She didn't see that Van's eyes were still fixed steadfastly on the vet. 

"Yes, but that's only if you want, Ms Kanzaki," he explained and watched with a grin her head snapping up, a confused expression on her face. 

"What?" she blurted, eyes wide as saucers. 

"Well, you can have the job right now or you can wait until tomorrow to find my announcement in the newspaper and apply then," the grey-haired man stated and shrugged, a telltaling grin tugging at his lips. 

She could do nothing but grin back. She was still grinning ten minutes later, after they'd exchanged numbers and had decided to meet to have a talk about the details of Hitomi's new job. Van smiled inwardly, waiting for her skull to split from all the grinning. He was glad to see her finally happy. She had really needed a feeling of success after these last weeks of mere chaos. Her bright green eyes were shining when she shook Mr Foruma hand effusively, making the poor man fear that it would simply fall off. 

The young man quietly collected her bags and jacket from where he had dropped them and waited at the door for Hitomi to finish her ritual of thanking. An amused glint was dancing within the infinity of his auburn eyes while he watched her. 

"I'll see you on Monday then?" the sandy-blonde asked eagerly for probably the hundredth time in the last minutes and finally released Mr Foruma now crushed hand. 

"Yes, of course," the old man replied with a patient smile and a nod, leading her to the door and the still waiting Van. 

When passing the cage of the sleeping dog, she kneeled down and quickly reached through the bars, patting his head softly. She ran her fingers over the smooth fur and turned to look up at Van, a foreboding sparkle in her eyes. 

"You know what?" she said and swiftly rose to her feet again, making her sandy-blond strands sway gently. "I think I now know the perfect present for Amano." 

Van's dark brows were raised questioningly at her but Hitomi simply walked past him with an impish grin on her features. Calling a last goodbye over her shoulder, she waltzed down the corridor towards the door that led to the street. Van watched his princess with unreadable eyes, the young woman winking at him before her fragile form vanished around a corner. He was just about to follow her when a deep voice stopped him. 

"Your girlfriend is really special," the old vet said quietly beside him, a warm smile on his face. "Keep an eye on her." 

The raven-haired man's burgundy eyes met wise brown ones when he turned around, his handsome features calm and collected. He didn't blink. "I will." 

[#########] 

Tbc... 

**Enzeru no Yami**: *grin from ear te ear* blimey, thank ye!!! *both blush* *they both shake hands* heh! Glad te know that ye think we make a good team (*grin* we think so too, hehe) Yeah, and you hopefully buy another ticket for the next ride of our crazy rollercoaster ^_^. Thank you!! 

**CharlieTheOtakuNymph**: *both grinning like mad* We do feel honoured but that goes to Ryuu-girl coz she was the one writing that part *pats shoulder* we are addictive?! *wide grin* thanks fer the kind comments *blushes* Hope ye liked this one too!! 

**Wink 57CS**: Lol, yeah that's just like Van, isn't it *both grinning goofily* But then again, it would be all too easy if he just told her (Ryuu) aah, an' I finally found out what kudos means... *sweatdrops* even though I've already forgotten it... I always widen me vocab with ye! (Dee) lol, what does it mean?? (Ryuu) eh... somethin' on the lines o' "good fer her!!"... I think ^^UU... oh well, then again, thankiez fer reviewin' so much!! ^___^ 

**dreamingofflyingaway**:   
We're more interesting than Latin yay!!! But then again, almost everything is more interesting than Latin...Dee can sing a song about it... though Dee cannot sing u_u   
Ryuu can't, she's escaped the curse o' Latin... *snorts* but 'as the curse o' Biochem, which sounds more or less as borin'   
So yeah, we're glad we could brighten your lesson   
*cackles* an' hope that can brighten many others *winks*   
so, 'ere is the update ye'd asked for, even if it took us a while, we hadn't forgotten it! We could never forget!! no no!!! Enjoy! :D 

**Dreamboat Annie**: hey giiirl!! *Ryuu hugs* glad te read yer review fer this story, an' even more glad te read that ye like it! ^_^ *Dee waves* Hiya, greetings to the other side of the world ^_^ And hah, I think Van is pretty obvious showing that he cares, it's just that Hitomi is very much blind concerning him *shakes head* Question must be, when does she finally see him?! *wink wink* 

**Sailor Silver Moon**: *they're both speechless* *somehow they find their voices* aye aye, *both blush beyond red* *both bowing veeery deep so that their foreheads are banging against the floor* THANK. YOU! (Ryuu) Now I'm only worried that we won't live up te all the amazin' things ye said 'bout us in the review!! (Dee) Lol, yeah, you made us feel incredibly special her ^_^ (Ryuu) *rereads it an' blushes* just hope our grammar an' vocab is still with us, an' that our charas are still worth yer praises throught the whole story!   
(Dee) Yepyep, that is what one is fearing the most when getting a review like that: not being able to satisfy the high (very high) expectations   
(Ryuu) 'bout reviews *grins widely* I think that it's better te 'ave few good reviewers that stick te the story no matter what ^_^ coz what one enjoys is writin', an' once that's done, all the rest is a bonus te the pleasure o' 'avin' written the chapter *nods*   
(Dee) As referring to a reeeeeeaaaaaaaaaally good friend: The reward of a thing well done is having done it.   
(Ryuu) Yah! Ye also like sarcasm? It's addictive! (Dee) We were sarcastic?! I didn't notice that...   
(Ryu) an' aye, Van is... *sighs* so glad that ye like it! *muffles giggles* (I was in some places, damsel, in Van's monologue *winks*) he truly redeems mankind...   
(Dee) Lol, yeah, the monologue..*cackles* Who didn't feel like that alredy?? *drools a bucket* That darn god!!! I love him!! Give him to me!!! Give give give!!!!   
(Ryuu) *drools with Dee* aye aye... an' Tomi, well, I doona think an epitome o' perfection would be credible... an' would be borin' te write 'bout... so aye, we wouldn't dream o' makin' her appear as that, no way! (Dee) Everyone has little mistakes (do you say it like that) and it's what makes everyone unique, I think-... (Ryuu) Aye aye, I completely agree! aft all, in a fic like this one, where the action is totally centered in the charas, if they don't look like real human beings, who will read?   
(Dee) Wow, never looked at it from that point   
(Ryuu)*grins* d'ye agree?   
(Dee) Of course!!! How could I not?! Wouldn't be us crazy clones, right?! As we both are sanely insane and admit it ^_____________^   
(Ryuu) lol! aye aye *bursts out laughin'* an' hope te stay like that fer many years xD ^___^ *hugs Dee rainbowishly* AYE! (Dee) *hugs back like a sanely insane bear*   
(Ryuu) so, *hides under desk* sorry if the update 'as taken a while...   
(Dee) *hides behind homeworks* Blame the others!!! We're absolutely innocent!!!!   
(Ryuu) *sighs* we'll try te be quicker an' be good writers, but ye know how things are   
inspiration comes an' goes, but teachers are always there, like a rain cloud over our heads waitin' te pour tons o' homework down on us T.T   
(Dee) *stunned* What a simily!!! Tell that your English teacher and you'll get an A!!!   
(Ryuu) *winks* liked it? thought it was quite accurate *sighs resignedly* no more English fer me... only *grumbles* Citology *mutters some more*   
(Dee) oh yeah, sorries *sweatdrops*... Anyway, we hope you liked it again ^_^   
(Ryuu) Losin' Cap'n Sparrow?? NEVER! could never ever inflict someone that pain, so doona worry *shakes head wildly* this story WILL go on!   
(Dee) *grins* Another pirate fan out there!!! Sign in on Capt'n Anne's ship!! *salutes* (Ryuu) aye aye, huzzah! *takes off pirate hat* great honour te be on yer favs list ^__^ An', aft this who knows how long review reply... we say goodbye (it rhymes, heh!)   
Maybe, you're going to drop anchor next chapter!!! 

**Starry Eyed Wonder**: *both jumping at you like having gone mad* *throwing you to the ground that you can't breath anymore* AYEE!!!! Hiya thereee!!!!!! 3 teddies all together!!! *all grin that their cheeks hurt* Yesyesyes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So cooooooooooooooool!!! Teddy-meeting ^_^ (p-teddy) Aaah *winks impishly* hey sis, but I *know* why ye hyperventilate ev'ry time ye read this! Van's always there te give ye CPR *bursts out laughin'* with that wonderful perspective, who wouldn't!? (d-teddy) *grins that her skull splits* Did you tell her about the apron??? *melts into a puddle of drool* (p) yah yah!! *swooooooons* an' again, b-teddy an' her deep insight in action! girl, ye must get a 10/10 in Psychology, how can ye not? I mean, aye! Comunication problems, exactly that :D (d) I think we're quite good at writing about communication problems, don't you think? (p) aye! only that Van is better than us at that communication thin', at least he can put together a few coherent words! *tears hair* (d) lol!!! Not just meaningless stuttering T^T   
(p) hehehehe... a one shot? Naah... I like writin' with the damsel too much te 'ave just a short thingy written, so girl, this goes fer long! (d) Quite loooong!!! They'll have to suffer a lot *cackles evilly*   
(p) hahaha *sheepish laugh* well... spent a lot o' time writin' it... I doona know the damsel, I wrote me part in an evenin' o' desperation *sweatdrops* that week was me inspiration week, Chéve followed suit *winks*   
(d) *grins hard* Yeah, I need a bit longer to write my parts ^_^   
*both blush* wOOw, we're then like the first chapter? Too perfect te be true :p (d) lol!!!!!!!!!!!   
(p) imagine it? THe horror! one day our perfect fic disappears coz it was too good! *bursts out laughin'*   
(d) And hah, I liked the b-teddies comment on Hitomi moving in Van's apartment ^_^ We talked about it but decided for her to move in with the girls...let me move in with Van!!!!!!!!!!! *grins insanely* No no, it won't disappear!!!!!!!!!   
(p) lol! *grins like mad* nay nay *both hug fic madly* an', *giggles* definitely must keep hair on head, girl! what would yer bros call ye then?   
(d) b-teddy...(baldhead-teddy)   
(p) *falls off chair rollin' on the floor* ... *clutchin' achin' sides* omg! I'll read this review reply t'morrow aft the exam te cheer up!   
(d) Is it just me or did we find some incredibly matching names? (p) we did!!! *is still roarin' with laughter* (d) me too!! boy, we're going to kill the poor girl!!! She'll die from laughing her head off!!!   
(p) oh well *muffles giggles* goddesses... a pirate, a damsel an' a *bursts out laughin' again*   
(d) baldhead!!! *roars wit laughter* we are some trio!!!   
(p) ye doona know how flattered we felt, how happy an' how... how incredibly well yer reviews make us feel!   
(d) yesyeyes!!!!! They brighten our days!!! You're our sun ^_^ (p) definitely *grins like mad*!! hope te meet ye soon 'nytime online sis, or if not I'll e-mail ye... hope tests are okay an' as ye told us, we've kept on writin'! :D yer reviews are our reward   
(d) And you do, too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We can't live without your stories!!!! And without your reviews!!   
(p) Exaactly! So, aye aye! hope that this chapter brightens yer day as much as yers brighten ours!! ^____^   
*both look guilty* an' hope ye forgive us... for we couldn't finish out reviews fer yer story *both sob at yer sleeves*... will this make ye forgive us? 

**Spirit0**: lol, someone doesn't like Tomi and Allen be together *cackles* *grins like mad* mustn't worry, we doona like them together either ^_~ Yepyep, don't walk away from the computer again ^_^ We couldn't have let her marry him!!   
(Ryuu) Seems that yer homework was really somethin'... I could tell ye a lot 'bout clouds, I visit them quite often *grins sheepishly* specially in Biochem... an' cloud number 9 has also had a few visits while readin' some ficcies o' some missies I know *hugglez damsel an' sis*   
(Dee) *grins* Oh yes, cloud number nine!! LOve that one!!!!!!! And muahahaha!!! You know what "bestimmt" means!!! *pat you on the shoulder* Good!!! Lol, you once said that Socke is one of your fav words!! I'll tell you mine ^_^ It's Dudelsack!!!! *bursts out laughing* Do you like it?! (Ryuu) Dudelsack? *is clueless* (Dee) *grins* bagpipes in German. It's such a funny word ^^ (Ryuu) aaaahh *nods wildly* will end up learnin' German with ye an' choir! definitely must write down an' remember "bathroom" fer a certain summer comin' soon   
(Dee) *grins hard* Though I doubt that you'll sing about Dudelsäcke in choir ^^   
(Ryuu) xD me too... oh well, what were we sayin'? aah, aye   
(Dee) Summer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *sighs in utter bliss* Can't wait for that one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   
(Ryuu) aye aye!! *does a jig* ah, aye, Allen aaha! out o' picture, hello Van! from now on, ye won't suffer more heart attacks, Van's there fer good! or *sweatdrops* perhaps she will, Dee?   
(Dee) *hugs Van* ssshhhhhhhhhhh don't spoil everything!!!   
(Ryuu) nay nay! *shakes head* never that! well, 'nyway, hope ye enjoyed this lil next chapter (lil? what the heck, 'tis the longest one so far! that's what dreamiland's beckonin'hand does te me brain... *sweatdrops*)   
And thanks for the review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

**Niffer**: *grins* Glad you like the story!!! an' thanks fer reviewin'! *both grin like mad* 

**YumeNightDragon: **Yes, we will, don't worry ^________________________^ an' thank ye!! 

**fireangel621: **thank ye!! (oh, an' hope ye found some solution te yer problem o' yer History teacher... *grins*) 

**dawnsama**: *pokes Ryuu* We're on an authors alert list!! really??? O_O Seems you really liked it ^_^ Thankiez!!!! *bow te floor* thanks!!! 

Dee: Hope ya all liked the chapter and maybe you want to know where the poor vet got his extravagant name from   
Ryuu: *bursts out laughin'* thank all mighty Compendium for that... 'tis the (odd) blend between the names o' two Zaibach sorcerers...   
Dee: Yesyes, crazy us couldn't decide for one name :p   
Ryuu: soo, aye, there it is *sighs* hope ye liked it! An', as we're both quite nervous fer some darn exams we 'ave t'morrow *sobs an' hugs Dee* ye'd really make our day by leavin' a nice review, savvy? *hint hint*   
Dee: *sobs and hugs back* Oh yeah, would really cheer us poor girls up!!! So go go and review!!!!!! ^_^   
Ryuu: so, we really hope te be able te update sooner next time, but who knows *shakes head* teachers are the ones who currently set the rules in me free time U_U   
Dee: *pat pat* Poor thing...well well, would love to see you around next chapter!!!!!   
Both: Bye byeee!!!!!!!!   
  
  



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